


Dealing With the Consequences

by Lastsyns



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Broken Bones, Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, Forgiveness, Hallucinations, M/M, Medical, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2018-02-05 00:44:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1799254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastsyns/pseuds/Lastsyns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After taking drugs, Jack attacks the Doctor. Now hurt and confused the two must learn to live with the consequences of his actions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Doctor sat back in the small booth of the club relaxing. It wasn't the type of place he would normally frequent, but Jack had insisted on a night out. The two of them hadn't had much time alone together since adopting their twin daughters just over five years ago, so reluctantly he had left the girls in Martha's care as the two of them went out for what Jack called a date night.

"Come on Doc," Jack called out drunkenly from where he was dancing. He shook his head and Jack shrugged. He tried to calculate how much alcohol Jack had consumed in the last few hours, but quickly gave up. Jack had started having a drink every night years back, but lately it had escalated and the Doctor knew he was going to have to put a stop to it for the children's sake. That could wait until tomorrow though, tonight he would let Jack have one last night of fun. He smiled as Jack came up to him and slid into the booth next to him. Jack leaned over and drunkenly kissed him on the lips.

"Let's go home," Jack slurred.

"All right," The Doctor agreed and slipped out the other side of the booth. He put his coat on and then watched Jack head back to the bar and down another shot, before heading to the door. He didn't wait for him as he went outside and the Doctor left the club alone. It was a dreary night but the TARDIS was parked in the alley nearby. As he turned to head into the alley he was grabbed roughly and slammed against the wall. Jack leaned in and kissed him while moving his hands up to unbutton his shirt.

"Jack stop," The Doctor said firmly turning his head away, but Jack ignored him. Jack's eyes were dilated and something was wrong as he continued to try to unbutton the Doctor's shirt. The Doctor tried to slip around him and Jack slammed him roughly against the wall again.

"I'm not good enough for you Doctor. We can share a home together but you can't be seen in a club with me." Jack hissed as his grip tightened on the Doctor's biceps. Without warning Jack slammed him backward again, causing him to hit his head hard against the wall, then threw him towards the ground. His head was pounding as he tried to move away and to the safety of his TARDIS.

"Jack, this isn't you. You have been drugged. We need to get you to the Medi-bay so I can help you." He found himself begging as he tried to get to his feet. Jack kicked him in the stomach and he let out all his breath and doubled over in pain, giving Jack the advantage to knock him to the ground again.

"Always trying to run away from me, you left me on that Game Station and then tried again to run from me, all the way to the end of the universe. You're not going any where this time Doctor," Jack slurred as he grabbed the Doctor's leg and fought him to put his foot on the cement block. With the Doctor weakened slightly all ready from the first two blows, Jack used it to his advantage and slammed his leg down on to the block. Without hesitation Jack stomped down on his shin, and the Doctor howled in pain. He pulled his leg back but Jack grabbed it again and repeated his actions. This time the Doctor felt his leg snap and he froze, shocked.

"There now you're not going any where." Jack purred as he pushed the Doctor on to his back and started to undo his trousers.

"Jack stop," He hissed with all the fury the Oncoming storm would allow. He was rewarded by a fist hitting him squarely in the jaw and he blacked out. When he came too moments later, he was on his stomach and Jack was holding his arms behind his back as he pushed himself painfully into his body.

"Please," He whimpered as he came back to awareness. He fought not to get sick as his insides burned from Jack's movements. His head was throbbing around where it was slammed, and he didn't even want to think about his leg, bending below the knee and at an angle that sent jolts of pain through his body, with every jerk. Tears filled his eyes

"Jack, please," He cried and was relieved, when Jack's movements stopped.

Jack heard the Doctor crying and looked around for the source. The Doctor never cried and for him to be, something had to be seriously wrong. Jack looked down and saw the man pinned beneath him. Letting go of his arms he scrambled off of him quickly and away. He couldn't stop himself from being sick as he realized what he had done. Over and over he emptied his stomach against the side of the alley. He heard the Doctor whimper and turned to see him trying to pull his trousers up, blood glistening on his thighs. He moved closer to him.

"Get away from me," The Doctor snapped, causing Jack to freeze in his tracks.

"Let me," Jack began, still feeling slightly delirious.

"No, leave me alone," The Doctor hissed and then cried out in pain again as he managed to get his trousers up. He pulled himself on his stomach towards the TARDIS. Every movement he fought to stay conscious. Nearing the door, he snapped his fingers and she opened them for him.

"Doc," Jack began as he watched the Doctor pulling himself along the ground. He sat down heavily against the bricks and pulled his cell phone out. "Ianto, I need you to come and arrest me. I also want you to call Martha and tell her the Doctor's on his way." He didn't say anymore as he threw the phone to the side, to let Ianto trace the signal. The Doctor looked back at him one last time as he finally managed to get through the TARDIS doors. He snapped his fingers and the door closed separating them.

The Doctor let himself pass out, once inside the safety of his TARDIS. She wouldn't let Jack on unless, he told her too and at this point, that was never going to happen again. He needed help and thankfully he knew just where to find her. He couldn't get to the controls though. Taking out his sonic he activated Emergency protocol one and sent the TARDIS on her way. He barely had the energy to get out of the way of the doors and screamed in pain as she landed roughly. He heard a key in the door and the doors opened slowly.

Martha entered holding her emergency travel bag and took one look at him laying just off to the side of the entrance. "What happened," She asked as she knelt down and began to assess his injuries.

"Jack," He whimpered as the darkness welcomed him again.

-DW-

Martha was sitting in the living room, of the Doctor's house, watching the telly quietly, while the girls slept. They had both kept her busy most of the evening and she was just enjoying some time alone when the phone rang. She glanced down at it, thinking it would be Mickey again. She had left him in charge of their own son while she watched the twins and though he was great with their son, bedtime was beyond him. She was surprised though to see Ianto's name on the caller ID. The last thing she wanted to do was work tonight. She considered just ignoring it and pretending later that she didn't hear it.

"Hello." She answered after a brief fight with herself.

"Martha, the Doctor is on his way home and I am on my way to arrest Jack." Ianto stated.

"Why, what happened?" She asked startled.

"I don't know." Ianto replied as the sound of the TARDIS arriving filled the small house.

"Thank you Ianto," Martha said quickly before hanging up the phone. She rushed to the hall closet, where she had stored her medical bag and opened it. She hoped that she wouldn't need it and that Jack had just gotten overly drunk and the Doctor had left him behind. She was growing concerned about Jack's drinking and she was going to discuss it with the Doctor here soon, if it didn't change.

As she rushed aboard the TARDIS, all hopes of not needing it changed. The Doctor looked as though he had been in a fight and lost badly. His head was bleeding, his dress shirt was opened slightly and filthy, with both dirt and blood. His hands were both scraped and bleeding and there was also dirt and blood on his pants. His leg was laying at a strange angle, slightly bent at the knee and then bent again further down with a bump, that she hoped was not bone breaking through the skin, pressing against his trouser leg.

"What happened," She asked as she knelt down to begin assessing the injuries.

"Jack," he whimpered before passing out. Martha heard him say it, but she didn't believe it. She had seen the two of them together many times over the years and Jack had never hit the Time Lord, not even when they were fighting. For Jack to have snapped and hurt him this badly, was something she would have never expected. She quickly got into her medical bag and pulled out her stethoscope and a pin light. She checked his pupil response and was relieved when they reacted quickly. She was in no position to do surgery on him. She needed help. Pulling out her cell, she called Mickey and put it to speaker phone, laying it on the grating of the TARDIS. She pulled on a pair of gloves and then examined the wound on the back of the Doctor's head.

"I have it under control Martha," Mickey answered sound exasperated.

"I am happy to hear that, but I need your help. The Doctor's been badly injured. I need you to call my mum and get her to come here to watch the girls. I also need you here to help me and I am going to call Tom here as well." Martha stated. She turned the Doctor's head slightly and he groaned.

"Shh, it's okay, I am just checking your head," She informed him softly.

"What about Jack?" Mickey asked.

"No," The Doctor moaned.

"Don't worry about him, Ianto is taking care of Jack." Martha responded trying to comfort the Doctor as well as let Mickey know. "Just get over her now."

"Be there in ten," Mickey replied. Hanging up Martha immediately dialed Tom.

"Hang in their Doctor, I am getting Mickey and Tom to help me and then we will get you off of this cold grating and into the medi-bay." Martha comforted him.

"Hello?" Tom answered.

"Tom, I hate to ask you, but my friend the Doctor is injured and I need help treating him." Martha told him. She had told Tom about the Doctor while they dated. Tom had treated her well but in the end they couldn't make it work and ended up going their separate ways. Now she still consulted with him occasionally medically but rarely saw him outside of the hospital.

"I have a late shift tomorrow but I can come down tonight. Which hospital are you at?" Tom responded.

"I can't bring him to a hospital, he's not human. We are aboard his ship, which is parked inside his office." She gave Tom the address to the Doctor's home and got his assurance he would be their quickly. She turned her full attention back to the Doctor, who was now watching her with pain in his eyes.

"I need to check your leg and get it into a splint. I am going to cut through your trousers to remove them." She told him as she reached into her beg and grabbed a pair of scissors.

"No, please stop," He whimpered trying to move away from her with his eyes wide and scared. She sat down the scissors and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're safe here now Doctor. No one is going to hurt you again, but I need to see your leg. Do you want me to give you a dose of pain killers first?" She asked him and he nodded weakly. She took his hand and he gripped hers tightly. "Okay, I will get them as soon as Mickey gets here. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Jack," He whispered again as tears filled his eyes. He couldn't go on and he didn't want to think about what Jack had done. He just wanted Martha to drug him and let him slip into the oblivion the drugs would bring. Martha made gentle shushing noises as she stroked his shoulder. She wasn't going to tell him it was all right, not when she didn't know for sure it was going to be. Mickey came rushing on and froze.

"What the hell.." He began, but Martha interrupted him.

"Mickey," She snapped and shook her head, before continuing in a gentler voice again. "I need you to please come here and hold his hand, so I can get his pain killers. Then I am going to examine and splint his leg while we wait for Tom." Mickey knelt down and took the Time Lords hand. She noticed the Doctor's grip tightened to the point where his knuckles were almost white and realized he had been being gentle with her. She hurried out of the room quickly and straight into the medi-bay. She quickly found his pain killers and a syringe. Returning to him she drew up a dose and delivered it into his arm.

"There now, just let that work Doctor," She said softly as she pulled out the scissors again. She quickly but carefully, cut up his trousers leg and moved them, cursing loudly when she saw the bone tip sticking out of his skin. They were going to have to do emergency surgery to repair the damage. She had never performed surgery on him before though and was immediately nervous about the prospect.

"Doctor, as soon as Tom gets here, we are going to have to take you in and perform surgery." She told him gently. "Your bone in your leg has broken through the skin and we need to fix it. Unless you can place yourself into a healing coma and repair the damage."

"Leg still needs to be set," He told her, he was staring up at the ceiling of the TARDIS and she was worried he was going into shock.

"Stay with us now Doctor," She said as Mickey took off his coat and folded it, placing it beneath the Doctor's head. "Tom will be here shortly and then we can move you. Mickey do you know where he keeps the stretchers?"

"Yes," Mickey responded. He gently released the Doctor's hand and took off deeper into the TARDIS.

"How," She heard Tom say from the door. She could see the confusion in his eyes, but he turned professional quickly as he saw the injured Doctor laying on the ground.

"Hello my name is Tom, it is nice to finally meet you Doctor." He said politely as he knelt down next to Martha.

"Thank you for coming over so quickly." She said happily as he pulled on a pair of gloves and looked at his leg. Mickey arrived back with the stretcher and sat it down next to him, lining it up with his body.

"All right Doctor, Martha and I are going to support your legs and help you to move them onto the stretcher. Mickey can you help him move his upper body?" Tom said taking charge and Martha let him. The Doctor being her friend, made it hard for her to treat him objectively. Mickey nodded and moved into position. The Doctor mumbled something about Mickey the idiot, but Mickey ignored him.

"Doctor I want you to just relax and let us do the work." Tom said. "On the count of three. One, two, three." They lifted him slightly and moved him the slight distance to the stretcher. He cried out in pain through the pain killers and Martha noticed he was fighting to keep conscious again.

"Don't fight it Doctor," She soothed him, but his eyes opened further as he became more aware again. Mickey and Tom each took a side of the stretcher and lifted him up, following Martha to the medi-bay. Once inside she broke away to start gathering the supplies they would need to perform the surgery and then cast his leg. She got extra sterile pads to clean his hands and head. She was hoping he wouldn't need stitches in it as well but she wasn't sure yet. Her initial examination had been inconclusive due to the blood and dirt in it. Considering the dirt and the bone poking through the skin, she grabbed a strong antibiotic to give him.

"Stop it," he cried out and she rushed back over to his side, to see him fighting strongly against Tom and Mickey.

"What's going on?" She wondered.

"I was just trying to help him get out of these dirty clothes and into a clean hospital gown for the surgery and he panicked." Tom advised her. Even with his leg broken he was trying to get off the bed and away from them. Against her better judgement, she quickly drew up a dose of medicine, and sedated him. He looked at her with betrayal in his eyes as he lost consciousness again.

"You need to work fast, that medicine won't keep him out for long." Martha commented. Tom and Mickey quickly stripped him and all three of them paused upon seeing the blood on his pants.

"Well that explains a lot," Martha commented at a loss for any other words. "Once he comes around again I want to talk to him, then we can put him under for the surgery and clean his wounds and make him feel more comfortable over all. Mickey can you please call Ianto and see if he has Jack secured. Also I want you to make sure Jack is on suicide watch."

"I know of a psychiatrist who specializes in spousal abuse. I will call him and see if he can visit Jack." Tom stated as he pulled out his own phone. Both of them left the medi-bay, leaving her alone with the Doctor. As she waited for him to come back around, she began to gently clean his head and saw that she could get away with gluing it, and stitches or staples wouldn't be needed. She hoped that luck would continue to be on their side and that his overall injuries, besides, his leg would be minor. Regardless though it was going to take the Doctor a long time to heal.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack sat in the cell of Torchwood, wearing just his trousers, everything else had been taken from him by Ianto. He hadn't said a word since Ianto had picked him up in the alleyway by the club and the only movements he had made was to go from sitting in one place to another. Ianto sat watching him on the CCTV. He had received a call not to long ago from Mickey where he had been informed of the Doctor's injuries and told to keep watch on Jack. He wasn't stupid though and the minute they had arrived he had stripped Jack before putting him in the cell.

If he hadn't seen the blood on Jack's hands himself, he never would have believed, that Jack had attacked the Doctor. Jack and him had dated for several years before the Doctor had come back into Jack's life and not once during that time, had Jack ever raised a hand to him. It didn't matter how drunk he was Jack wasn't abusive. The phone rang again, this time from an unknown number.

"Ianto Jones speaking," He answered.

"Ianto, this is Tom Milligan." The voice on the other side said.

"Now is not a good time, Tom," He informed him, remembering Martha's old boyfriend. He hadn't heard from Tom in years.

"I know. I am with Martha helping her to treat the Doctor. I am calling to let you know, I have called a psychiatric friend of mine name Mike Bruner. He is going to come down there and assess Jack. He should be there within the hour."

"I will watch for him." Ianto responded. "How is the Doctor?"

"We are taking him into surgery soon, I have to go now." Tom responded but said no more about the Doctor. Ianto closed his phone and then placed his hand on the screen.

"Jack what have you done?" He asked softly.

-DW-

Martha had just finished gluing the Doctor's head and was wiping blood off of his neck when the Doctor began to wake. He was immediately panicked again by the fact he couldn't see her.

"Shh, I'm just finishing with your head. You have a nasty cut but I have glued it and you won't even be able to see it with your hair." Martha commented as she moved around so that he could see her better, without having to place pressure on the wound.

"Where's Mickey?" He asked slightly confused.

"Mickey and Tom stepped out for a moment so that we could talk." Martha advised him softly.

"No," He turned his head slightly so he was looking at the ceiling. Martha gently took his chin in her hand and turned his face back.

"Doctor we saw the blood. Now I know this is hard but is there anything you aren't telling me." Martha asked. He looked ashamed as he lowered his eyes.

"I couldn't stop him," He whispered.

"I would like to examine you and make sure you're okay." Martha said softly.

"Martha no," He whimpered and closed his eyes tightly. Martha started at him quietly for a moment. She wondered what was going on in his head that would make him beg and whimper the way he was. He had always been so strong and determined and now just looking at him it was clear he was lost. Jack attacking him, had ripped his world apart.

"We are going to sedate you here soon and set your leg. I am also going to clean up any wounds you have with a good antiseptic and give you an antibiotic injection. During the surgery we are going to ventilate you, which is standard procedure and insert a catheter. Do I have your permission to examine you then?" Martha asked as she laid out their plan. He nodded weakly.

Mickey and Tom returned a short time later and the three of them prepared for the surgery. They x-rayed his leg and found that both bones had broke through but it was only the tibia that had broke through. To break his bone took a large amount of force and that Jack had accomplished surprised both Martha and Mickey. While Tom examined the x-rays and planned. Her and Mickey set up the surgical room. The Doctor had a sterile room on the TARDIS that they were going to use and they moved everything they would need into it before washing up. Once the Doctor was moved, they would wash up again and start. Martha set up an IV and carefully placed the needle a little way's up his arm, knowing he hated it in his hand. She prepared the first dose of sedatives and injected it into the canola.

"See you soon," She whispered as he fell asleep.

-DW-

The Doctor was under for several hours but thankfully there was no complications. They reduced the bone and put a metal plate in to hold it in place. Martha cleaned the wound and they stitched, bandaged and then cast him. His leg was still swelling and Martha placed extra padding around it to try to compensate. They were going to have to keep a close eye on his leg though and probably change the cast out in a few days.

Working together they cleaned the gravel out of his hands and cleaned all the scrapes and bruises. Tom examined him and declared the bleeding was from slight tearing but nothing that needed their intervention. They took several blood samples and Martha gave him the injection of the strong antibiotic. Once done, they wheeled him back out in to the medi-bay and made sure his leg was propped up in a sling, to help reduce the swelling.

Martha was once again left alone with him as Tom cleaned up and Mickey went to inform her mum and Ianto that the surgery had gone well. She had offered to do both jobs but it was agreed that he would probably feel more comfortable with her in the room then them. Martha sat beside his bed watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed cleanly on his own again. Now that he had been cleaned up, she could see just how pale he was and also see the bruise that was forming on his chin. The first indication of him starting to come back around was a groan and then he swatted at the IV in his arm.

"Causing problems all ready," Martha chuckled as she moved his hand away. "You couldn't wait five minutes."

"I don't like it," He rasped.

"I know, but it has to stay in for a little while. Now open those eyes and look at me." He scrunched his nose up at the suggestion and smacked his lips sleepily as he ignored her and promptly fell back asleep. About ten minutes later he tried to pick at the IV again and this time when she stopped him, he opened his eyes a crack to glare at her.

"Leave it, or I will tie your hand down so you can't pick at it." Martha commented.

"Martha," He complained and she smiled at him.

"Your throat sounds dry, do you want a drink?" She asked offering him a glass with a little bit of water in it and a straw. He nodded and she helped him to drink the contents before he slumped back into the pillows again. His eyes drifted closed and she let him. He had come through the anesthetic just fine and was maintain a good breathing rhythm as well as heart beats. He had been responsive when he woke up and she was happy with his progress.

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was all ready almost four in the morning. It didn't seem like that much time had passed and the girls would be up soon to get ready for school and her own son usually went to daycare. For now the family was asleep though and she would let them hide there, because in the morning all of their lives would change.

-DW-

Tom finished cleaning up and came out into the Medi-bay. Martha was finishing checking the Doctor over and he motioned for her to join him. The Doctor was awake again and while he was following her with his eyes, he hadn't said anything to her. Still she talked to him and let him know exactly what she was doing, from checking his foot to make sure the cast wasn't too tight, to topping up his pain killers.

"Has anyone taken a sample of Jack's blood yet? We need to analyze it so we can figure out if there was something in his system that made him lash out." Tom asked Martha quietly, once she was by his side.

"Drugs," The Doctor mumbled as he turned his eyes and looked at them.

"Do you know what kind," Martha asked him and he shook his head no. "Did he take them willingly." He shrugged and then turned his eyes up to the ceiling.

"How is he doing," Tom asked in a soft whisper.

"He is down, but he came out of the anesthetic just fine. I have checked the capillary refill on his toes and it is good. My main concern now is that he won't be able to reach a healing coma in order to assist and speed up his healing." Martha commented.

"He can hear you," The Doctor hissed at them and they both came over to his bed.

"Sorry, I didn't realize your hearing was that good." Tom commented. "I am going to head over to Torchwood now and collect a sample of blood for analysis." Tom left and Martha took her place next to the Doctor again.

"You didn't deny that Jack may have willingly took drugs. Has he done drugs in the past?" Martha inquired.

"Occasionally," The Doctor's voice was monotone and his eyes were still staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Since the twins were born?" She received another shrug in reply before he closed his eyes ending the conversation. The morning passed quickly around them as the Doctor either slept, pretended to be asleep, or stared quietly at the ceiling. Francine poked her head in before taking the girls to school.

"The girls are asking to see the Doctor," she whispered to Martha.

"He just fell asleep again, I really don't want to wake him." Martha commented back coming to the door. She peeked around the corner to see identical faces looking up at her. "You can go see him, just be quiet and tiptoe." She watched them cross the room to the Doctor's bed.

"What have they been told?" She asked once they were out of hearing range.

"Only that the Doctor has a broken leg and that Jack is at Torchwood. I thought it would be best for the Doctor to decide how much he wanted them to know." Francine commented as Martha knelt down to catch Sophie as she ran across the medi-bay in tears and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"I want papa," She sobbed.

"I know sweetie, but Papa is at Torchwood." Martha cooed.

"Bring her here," The Doctor spoke up, opening his eyes. She cared Sophie across the medi-bay and deposited her carefully on the Time Lord, she then lifted Emily up and placed her on the bed. The Doctor lovingly cuddled his twins as he comforted them.

Neither him or Jack planned on becoming fathers again when they picked up the ship of refuges running from a nearby planet. The ship had broken down and on board were nine people all except three of them dead from oxygen deprivation. Of the three there were was a middle aged man, who would go on to live a healthy life and two young females, one of which was heavily pregnant. The first young female would have health problems the rest of her life, but she managed to survive. He tried his hardest to save the twin's mother but she passed away during birth from complications.

Originally they planned to take all of the refugees to their home world and let them live out their lives. The plan was fine for the adults but for the twins it wasn't a possibility. He didn't know it at the time but the twins were half human and would have grown up being frowned upon by their society. For even though the species looked human they took pride in the fact they were tall and thin, with long delicate features and blonde haired. It was obvious even as newborns that his daughters wouldn't share the same characteristics. Both babies were short and slightly chubby with brown hair. He couldn't leave them. During the two weeks he had them in his care, while he tried to get them a home, he had grown to care deeply about them and he refused to leave them to a life of hardship for circumstances beyond their control. Now it was only the two green eyed children that gave him a reason to keep going.

"You promised you would wake us." Sophie, sobbed in his arms.

"I know and I am sorry. That must have been confusing and scary waking up to Francine, instead of daddy," He commented and she nodded.

"When will papa come home," Emily asked looking up at him.

"Not for awhile," He murmured, holding them both a little tighter. He looked at Martha as she approached the bed again. "It is time to go and get ready for school. Francine is going to take you."

"Will you pick us up?" Sophie asked she scrambled off the bed.

"Not today, but I will be here when you get home." He promised them. He smiled and waved goodbye as they left the medi-bay hand in hand. As soon as they were gone though, his face fell and his eyes returned to the ceiling.

-DW-

Tom arrived at Torchwood to see Jack on the CCTV still sitting on the floor of the cell staring down. "Did Doctor Bruner ever arrive?" He asked Ianto as he followed him down to the cells.

"Yes, he was here for about two hours and Jack refused to talk to him during that time. He had to leave but he is coming back tonight to try again." Ianto commented as he pulled out his key and let Tom into the cell. Ianto stood just inside the cell, keeping watch as Tom went over to Jack and knelt in front of him.

"Hi Jack, I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Tom Milligan. I am here on behalf of Martha to take a blood sample so that we can test for drugs. I will be submitting the information to the police and it will be up to the Doctor if he wants to press charges. Now it might make it easier on you, if you tell me what you took." He explained as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

"9d" Jack whispered.

"I have never heard of it." Tom replied as he took Jack's arm and tied a tourniquet around it before inserting the needle of the syringe and taking two vials of blood for testing.

"It is from the 51st century."

"Have you used it in the past?" Tom questioned and Jack nodded. "Did you willingly take it last night?"

"Yes," He turned his head away from Tom. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Eventually." Tom answered vaguely. "My friend Mike is coming back later. When he does, I think you should talk to him."

"Maybe," Jack whispered, but he knew Tom was right. He was all ready suffering from a hangover from the alcohol and the drug would be in his system for awhile yet, but the effects were mild. He would get himself clean though. He had blown it with the Doctor but maybe he could still be a good father to their daughters.

-DW-

The Doctor lay staring up at the ceiling of the medi-bay. For the first time since last night, he was by himself with his thoughts. He kept replaying the events over and over in his head, but no matter how many different scenarios he came up with, he still couldn't picture Jack attacking him.

He could have dealt with Jack, if Jack had stopped with hitting his head against the wall. Breaking his leg was a little harder but he was sure he could have coped. Pain was one thing for him, pain he could deal with. But it was the humiliation of the act of Jack raping him and then having to crawl to his TARDIS, that he couldn't began to cope with. Sex had always been an issue for them. Jack was from the 51st century where sex was an open experience and for Jack flirting was as natural as breathing. For him though, being a Time Lord, he had been taught that he should be above such mundane things as sex. He should instead focus on bettering his mind and in turn the society. He had rebelled against the Time Lords and lived how he wanted to, but sex was still something he barely considered. For Jack's sake, he would occasionally give in but the act itself was rare between the two of them. Up until last night, he thought they were making it work.

He shifted a little in the bed and pain tore through his leg making him cry out. His pain killers had begun to fade but he didn't call Martha to top them up, not yet. He waited a moment completely still, listening for her to arrive before he closed his eyes and tried to sink down into the healing coma. Earlier when he hadn't been able to achieve it, he thought for sure it was a mixture of the pain killers and Tom being in the room that stopped him. Now he wasn't so sure, he almost managed to achieve it, when his mind started to race and he began to panic. He forced himself to wake up again and realized that the panic was caused by footsteps approaching him.

He chastised himself for being afraid. He wasn't afraid of anything. He would land on an unknown planet and stroll through the place as if he owned it. He laughed at people who captured him and he had a few of his own naked escape stories. Yet now the mere sound of footsteps coming near him, made him worry. Anger at Jack quickly replaced the fear and he opened his eyes.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Martha said softly as she checked his information on the screen. "But since you are awake, do you need more pain killers?"

"Please," he replied as he set his eyes on his new favorite dot on the ceiling. He focused on it, until the dot came in to focus as the rest of the room blurred around it. He felt the drugs enter his system and guessed that Martha had used the canola to deliver them. He hated the IV and as soon as he had a chance, he was going to take it out. He didn't realize how tense he was until he felt his body beginning to relax.

"My mum was going to take the girls and Samuel to the park to play before bringing them home, if that is okay?" Martha questioned.

"Fine."

"If you want we can set up a table in here and they can join you for supper. Then Mickey is going to take Samuel home and I am going to stay." Martha continued.

"All right," He muttered

"Then I was going to take the girls to the stables in town and buy them a fire breathing pony that came through the rift."

"Sounds good." He replied. He jumped as Martha placed a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at her.

"I didn't mean to scare you," She apologized. "You need to talk about what happened. Keeping it bottled up inside is not good for you."

"I don't need to talk Martha." He replied indignantly.

"You just agreed I could buy the girls a fire breathing horse and then jumped when I placed a hand on your shoulder." Martha informed him. "I don't expect you to talk to me, but there is a man I think you should talk to. He is a psychiatrist and he helped my family a lot to deal with the year. He only takes in clients from UNIT and being that you still technically work for UNIT, I am sure we can get him down here."

"I am fine Martha," He rolled his eyes back towards the ceiling.

"This time I don't believe you Doctor. You are not fine and after what happened, that is perfectly acceptable. If you won't talk to someone and try to get through this for yourself, do it for Emily and Sophie. They are going to need you Doctor." Martha knew it was low to bring the children into the conversation but she also knew it was the only thing that might convince him. He walked away from the Time War alone and depressed, losing Rose and then the year that never was hurt him more. He thought he had finally found happiness again, with Jack and that was destroyed.

"Fine," He turned to look at her again for a moment. She took his hand and he squeezed hers in return. It was the soft kiss she planted on his forehead though, that made him lose it, and he couldn't stop the tears from sliding down his face. He hated the fact that at this moment, he never wanted to see Jack again, but the very thought made both of his hearts ache.

-DW-

After Tom left, Jack pulled himself off of the floor and moved to lay down on the small cot within the cell. Normally he didn't sleep that much, but right now, he felt as though he could sleep for the next year and still be exhausted.

"Would you like a coffee sir," Ianto asked as he stood outside the cell door.

"I'm not your boss right now, Ianto. You don't have to call me sir." Jack responded.

"Sorry sir." Ianto replied immediately and Jack felt himself smile a moment before the somber look returned to his face.

"Coffee sounds good?" He agreed.

"Right away." Ianto left. Jack felt like hell and knew that the beginning stages of with drawl hadn't even started yet. He could kill himself and get the drug out of his system, but after what he did, he deserved all the aches and pains that would come from it. 9d was a horrible drug to withdraw from and it often killed the person in the process, making most people who started the drug, addicts for life.

Much to Jack's displeasure though, death for him would only be temporary and he would have to come back to the life that he ruined. He had everything he had ever wanted. The man he loved, two beautiful daughters, a job that he enjoyed and a warm home to return to every night. Though several months ago, he had started to feel restless again. He couldn't shake the feeling and rather then talking to anyone about it, he started drinking heavier again. When the drinking didn't work, he turned to the drugs. Last night wasn't the first time he had taken them but it was the largest amount he had taken at once.

He couldn't help but wondering, if he had hurt the Doctor in the past few weeks and just couldn't remember it. Had he forced himself on the Doctor before in the privacy of their own home and the Doctor not seen that he wasn't himself and just let him for Jack's sake like every other time. The Doctor didn't like sex and he knew it, still every few months he would give in and let Jack make love to him. Jack had always been as gentle and loving as possible, but it never changed the Time Lord's mind.

He felt his stomach clench again and he managed to get to the small toilet in the cell before he was sick. He continued to gag for awhile and try to empty his all ready empty stomach again, before he finally collapsed backwards, to sit against the wall again. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a plastic cup filled with coffee sitting just inside the cell door. Ianto had brought it in and then left again without saying a word or trying to comfort Jack. For that Jack was grateful, he didn't deserve to be comforted.


	3. Chapter 3

Martha sat quietly comforting the Doctor as he tried to pull himself together. He was exhausted still but he didn't want to sleep anymore, he didn't want to think either. He wished he could just turn off his mind but that wasn't a possibility. He could hold many trains of thoughts at once. Martha left his side for a moment and returned with a cool cloth, for him to wipe his face with.

"I have something else we need to talk about. I know normally when you receive an injury you place yourself into a healing coma, but you haven't done that yet." Martha inquired.

"I've tried. I couldn't get deep enough." He admitted.

"Do you know why?" Martha asked even more concerned. He nodded rather than answer her. "If I sit here with you, do you think you might be able to achieve it?" She asked and he was grateful that she understood without him having to explain. He closed his eyes and began to sink down. He was almost there when a cell began to ring and his eyes shot open as his hearts began to pound. Martha swore and placed a comforting hand on his as she answered the phone.

"Hello Tom," She answered and then shook her head as he rolled his eyes.

"Hello Martha,is the Doctor awake. I need to talk to him for a moment." Tom responded. He mouthed no at her and she ignored him as she placed the phone on speaker and set it down near him. He groaned loudly to show his dismay at the gesture. "Go on Tom."

"Doctor I know you don't want to talk about Jack..." Tom began but was interrupted.

"Then why are we?" He asked irritated.

"Because I have a question about a drug from the future and you are the only one who will be able to answer it." Tom finished and then waited for a moment before continuing. "Jack admitted to me that he was taking a drug called 9D."

"Idiot."

"Can you tell us about it?" Martha asked.

"Ask Jack," He responded as he reached over and hung up the phone.

"Oi, that was rude." Martha chastised him softly.

"I'm tired," He responded and held his hand to her. She took it and he gripped it as he tried again to sink down into the healing coma. She watched the monitors and rather then achieve it, he sunk down into a deep sleep instead.

"Close enough," She whispered as his grip loosened and his breathing evened out. She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles before laying it on the bed.

-DW-

It was still early in the day when Tom arrived at Torchwood for the second time. He had taken the blood samples to the hospital to be tested and then had lunch. He called the Doctor on the way back to Torchwood and was slightly surprised when the Doctor had just hung up on him. He didn't know if Jack would be willing to answer his questions but he had to try.

"Ready to fill out a report?" Gwen asked as he entered the hub. He had wanted to go straight to the police, but Gwen explained that she was the police liaison for Torchwood and because the Doctor wasn't human it was better to go through her. She could file the necessary paperwork and not have to explain why he wasn't in a hospital, since he had to have surgery on his broken leg. Also they would be able to get Jack in Torchwood's cells and not have to move him.

"If it is all right, I need to talk to Jack first," Tom replied. Gwen looked around him to Ianto, who nodded his permission.

"I will be up in the conference room when you are ready." She left the room. Tom turned and followed Ianto down to the cells again. He didn't enter them this time as he stood outside the cell and observed Jack. He had moved back to the bed again, where he was sitting with his feet on the floor and his head hanging down. In his hand, he held a half full cup of coffee.

"Jack," Tom said stepping forward and Jack looked up at him. "I have a few questions I need to ask you and I am hoping you will be willing to answer them."

"I'll try," Jack replied softly.

"I have submitted your blood to the lab to be tested for drugs. I need to know if they are going to find any other drug besides 9d in your system." Tom stated.

"No."

"You previously stated the drug was from the 51st century, can you please tell me about it?" Tom asked. Jack went quiet and Tom waited patiently for him to speak again.

"The drug is a derivative of the pollen of a flower called Night Shade, similar to opium. The flower, though it shares a name with earth's flowers, can only be grown on a small planet that orbits a dwarf star. The planet has twin moons and the flower blooms once, under the twin full moons." He said finally. Ianto noticed that his voice was more monotone then normal and that he was still distancing himself even as he spoke to them.

"Why is it called 9d?" Tom asked.

"It is called 9d because most people only last nine days once the with drawl symptoms start. During that time they either restart using the drug or die."

"What can we expect while you with drawl?" Tom questioned, leaving no doubt in Jack's mind that they planned to get him off of the drug.

"The usual anxiety, sweating and aching muscles at first. As it progresses can cause nauseousness or the person will actually be sick. The body craves the drug and people have become violent because they thinks they need it. There have also been reported hallucinations or delusions. The major symptoms only last about a week. During that time it is important to keep them hydrated. The fluids help to flush the drug out of the system and people who drink or are on IV's have a higher success rate of getting off the drug."

"Is there anything we can do to make the with drawl easier?" Ianto asked, slightly worried. Though he was mad at Jack for what he had did to the Doctor, he was still one of his good friends and he didn't want him to suffer anymore then he had to.

"No."

"I have to ask, is that because there really is nothing or because you don't want our help?" Tom asked.

"Both," Jack answered honestly.

"I hope you change your mind, but in the meantime I thank you for your time today and I will be in touch." Tom promised as he left the cells.

-DW-

Jack was sitting on the Game Station, in the Dalek dust. The Doctor hadd taken the TARDIS and left him alone aboard the station. He had searched the place from top to bottom, trying to find any survivors. He wanted somebody, anybody to confirm that he wasn't alone. Earth had cut off their communications with the station once it was confirmed that the channels were down and though he had screamed in to the microphones until his voice was hoarse he was still by himself. Picking up one of the wires, with shaking, bloody fingers he carefully tried to fix his vortex manipulator enough to get him back to earth, back to the Cardiff rift. From there he would be able to ask the Doctor why he had been left.

"Jack what are you doing?" A concerned voice asked as his hand was wrenched away from the manipulator. He didn't see anyone though and he tried to get back to his work. He was going in insane.

"He doesn't hear you Ianto, he is hallucinating." Another male voice spoke up. This voice was slightly gruff yet sounded professional.

"I am not," Jack told the voices, wishing they would go away and leave him to his work. He needed to find the Doctor. He had loved the Doctor so much and had worked hard to change into a better man for him, just to be left behind after he had saved their lives. What kind of man was the Doctor if he could just abandon someone. Jack had to know, he had to know what he had done that was so wrong that the Doctor would just leave him.

"Jack, did you ever ask him?" The gruff voice questioned. What kind of question was that. How could he ask the Doctor why he had been abandoned, when he was still aboard the Game Station. These voices were beginning to annoy him. He stood and moved away from them, heading to the other side of the room.

"Leave me alone," He told them as he sat down and tried to work on his manipulator again. He was stopped again though by the unseen force.

"Jack you're hurting yourself. I don't know what you think you are doing but there is nothing there." The concerned first voice told him. Jack looked down at his wrist. He blinked a couple of times as the image of the vortex manipulator faded and the walls of the Game station changed into the bricks of the cell. Instead of seeing the manipulator he saw his own pink flesh with a piece of the plastic cup sticking out of it. He was dripping blood onto his pants that were soaked in the rest of the half a cup of coffee.

"I'm sorry Ianto," he said as he looked up into the eyes of the concerned Welshman. He was back in the cell underneath Torchwood, the Game Station a distant memory. Mike was holding his arm away from the damage to his wrist. Blood covered his fingers from where he had dug them into skin trying to get the back off of the manipulator.

"We need to get him cleaned up." Mike informed Ianto and Ianto rushed out of the cell to retrieve the medical kit. Mike address Jack this time. "There are medications that can help with withdrawl. You have informed me that you don't want to take any but given the circumstances I feel as though it would be a good idea."

"I hurt my husband. I deserve to suffer." Jack told the psychiatrist. "He trusted me and I betrayed him." He turned to look at Ianto as he entered with the suture kit to repair the damage to Jack's wrist.

"You should just let me bleed to death." Jack looked Ianto in the eyes as Tom came in the room to repair the damage. He had just been finishing the report with Gwen, when he was informed that Jack had hurt himself during a flash back.

"That isn't going to happen." Mike answered as Tom carefully took Jack's wrist. He removed the plastic from it and cleaned out the wound causing Jack to hiss, but not move away. He had given up on fighting them, he was to tired. The cut was small and Tom added only a couple of stitches to close it. Jack moved away from them and went and curled up on the bed. He laid on his side facing the wall. Mike was talking to him again, but he ignored him as he mourned for his family.

-DW-

"Daddy, wake up." Emily's voice penetrated the Doctor's sleep. The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled at the little face staring up at him.

"How was school?" He asked her as he sat up a little bit and reached down to pull her up on the bed.

"We drew you a picture." She answered as she handed him the drawing. On it were the words 'Get well soon, Love Emily and Sophie.' The drawing was of flowers and a man laying in bed with a cast on his leg. "That's you." She informed him as she pointed to the picture.

"It looks just like me." He laughed and hugged her. "Where is Sophie?"

"Helping Grandma Francine make supper. Auntie says we are going to eat in here." Emily smiled and slid off of the bed.

"What did I also say?" Martha asked as she walked into the room.

"That I could give Daddy the picture but if he was sleeping I shouldn't wake him. Ooops." She giggled. "Sorry Auntie."

"It's all right, now go help make supper while I talk to your dad for a moment." Martha swatted Emily's bottom playfully as the little girl ran out of the room. She waited until Emily was out of hearing range before closing the medi-bay door and going to the Doctor's bedside. The grin he wore for his children had faded again and he was back to staring at nothing.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked as she checked the capillary refill on his toes.

"I was trying to reach a healing coma." He answered.

"I know and I don't think you are going to be able to given the circumstances." Martha replied as she sat down next to the bed.

"I know." He sighed.

"It's all right that you can't Doctor. With everything that has happened in the last few hours, you are allowed to take time and heal." Martha took his hand and was surprised when he didn't pull away but held it, wanting her comfort.

"I can't though. I have to take care of our girls. They need me." He responded.

"The girls will be looked after. We aren't going to abandon you Doctor. My mum, mickey and I will be here for you as much as you need us. And if you need us to go away for a bit and leave you in peace we can do that too." Martha promised him.

"But they won't understand and I don't know how to tell them that Jack isn't going to come home. I don't trust him anymore, Martha. I can't." He sounded close to panicking as he tried to make her understand that he didn't trust his husband. The thought of seeing Jack churned his stomach and he bit his lip, swallowing hard to keep from being sick.

"No one expects you to." Martha informed him calmly.

"Where is he?" He looked around nervously

"He is locked in the a cell at Torchwood while he withdraws. He is being evaluated by a psychiatrist and after that we will determine what happens to him but under no circumstances is he coming here alone or without your permission." Martha answered and he nodded as tears filled his eyes again. He wiped them away quickly though as the door to the Medi-bay opened and his twin daughters bounded in carrying trays with sandwiches and chips. Samuel followed close behind with fresh fruit and Francine brought the drinks.

"Are we interrupting?" Francine asked seeing the Doctor's face.

"No," he replied quickly. He nicked a chip off of the plate Sophie had and nibbled the end of it as the girls settled at the small table that had been brought in. He wasn't hungry but he needed something to do with his hands and a reason not to talk. The girls would be asking again where Jack was, and he needed to have answer for them. Not yet though, for now he just wanted to see them be happy.

"You should eat more then that," Martha whispered, making him jump. He had been lost in his thoughts and he hadn't realized how close she was to him until she spoke. The girls were still busy laughing and eating supper with Samuel, though Sophie was now watching him. He put the rest of the half eaten chip in his mouth and forced himself to chew and swallow it, before picking up a banana. He took a bite and chewed it for a long time before finally swallowing hard. He gulped again as he felt the banana get stuck in his throat. Though, he opened his mouth to take another bite, and Martha took it from his hand.

"I didn't mean you had to force yourself to eat," Martha commented, as she sat the banana back down on his plate.

"You're not eating Daddy?" Sophie asked.

"I'm not hungry." He told her.

"When is Papa coming home," Emily spoke up and he exchanged glances with Martha.

"Samuel, come help me clear the table," Martha told her son. The Doctor waited until Martha had picked up the plates and leftover food. She helped Samuel carry the items out of the medi-bay and then turned to his girls. They were both still sitting at the table and their little faces were grim with what they knew was going to be bad news.

"Come here," He said and they both came over to the bed. He helped them up on it and to sit so they were facing him, careful to avoid his leg. He hated Jack more for the pain he was causing their children at the moment then anything Jack could ever do to him. He was just thankful that they were to young to understand what happened and that he didn't have to explain it to them. They would need explanations when they were older but for now he could continue to let them be innocent.

"Papa's not coming home for awhile little ones," He said finally, his mind made up on how much he was going to tell them. "Papa is sick as well and we have decided he is going to live at Torchwood while we both get better."

"Then will he come home?" Sophie asked.

"I don't think so," the Doctor told her.

"I want to see Papa," Emily demanded.

"Maybe when he is better," The Doctor replied. Though they loved and treated both girls equally, Emily had always been Papa's girl. He wasn't going to keep the twins from him, once he was cleaned up. Jack was a good father and up until last night had been a decent husband. With that thought he felt queasy again.

"Are we going to live in two different houses. Matthew at school lives with his mum and then his dad. He hates it." Sophie told him.

"I don't know yet, but whatever happens we both will love you and take care of you," The Doctor tried to reassure them.

"I told you papa wasn't coming home," Sophie turned to Emily. Emily smacked her hard before the Doctor had time to react. Sophie slid off the bed and took off out of the medi-bay.

"Sophie, come back," He called out as she ran off deeper inside the TARDIS. He had hoped she would go to Martha, when she ran off but she wanted to be alone. He opened his mind to the TARDIS and she silently reassured him that she would watch over Sophie.

"Emily, you don't hit your sister," The Doctor scolded. She opened her mouth and he put a finger to her lips. "It doesn't matter why you hit her, you must never hit your sister. I know you are too little to understand, but Papa's leaving has nothing to do with you or your sister. We both love you very much and as soon as he is well enough I will take you to go see him."

"I'm not little, I'm five." Emily held up five fingers to emphasize her point. He couldn't help but to laugh.

"And I am nine hundred and ten. To me everyone is little." He informed her, cuddling her close.

"One day I will be that old," she exclaimed happily.

"One day," he agreed softly, trying not to let her see the tears in his eyes. He didn't want to think about the day that he would have to bury his beautiful twins, for while they would live longer then a human, they were neither a Time Lord or Immortal. He silently thanked the stars that they weren't immortal. Their human genes would give them about a hundred years while the other half of their genes lived to be about four hundred. They would more then likely live to be about two hundred. It was not nearly enough time and under normal circumstances he wouldn't have thought of raising them. His hearts though couldn't bare life without them.

He was still snuggling with Emily, when Sophie crept back into the medi-bay. He helped her up on the bed and she cuddled close to him. Her face was tear stained and her eyes and nose were red.

"I'm sorry." Emily reached over and took her sister's hand.

"I'm sorry, too." Sophie responded weakly. Her voice was hoarse from crying. The Doctor took his glass of water and helped her to take a couple of sips before relaxing back into the bed. "Can we sleep here tonight daddy?"

"Yes, go get changed into your pajamas and get ready for bed." He helped them down off the bed and they took off out of the room. When they came back a little while later, Martha was with them. They were wearing identical white sleeping gowns and their hair had been brushed. Emily carried her teddy bear while Sophie had a rabbit.

"Now you have to be careful of your daddy's leg." Martha told them as she helped them up onto the bed and then pulled the blankets up to tuck the three of them in. The girls gripped the Doctor tightly and fell asleep early. Even though he had slept most of the day, he was still exhausted and wanted to join them in slumber, but he was in pain from his leg and his hearts hurt over Jack. Martha made the decision easy for him though when she returned an hour later to check on them. With his permission, she gave him a mild sedative along with his pain killers and soon after, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor woke up in the middle of the night. The Medi-bay was quiet except for the light snoring from his two daughters. They were still cuddled up on him sound asleep. It took him a moment to realize what had woken him up, but the pain searing through his broken leg was a quick reminder. He hissed and gritted his teeth to keep from crying out and waking his sleeping children. He looked around and found a call button next to his bed. If he pressed it the TARDIS would alert Martha that she was needed and she would give him the pain killers that would allow him to slip back into the oblivion that sleep brought. Tears filled his eyes when he realized that the person he really wanted, more then anything at that moment, was Jack.

The first time he had met Jack, he was intrigued by the conman who had rescued Rose from the blitz. He didn't trust Jack and didn't like the way he was looking at Rose. Though Jack had changed his mind when he took the bomb aboard his ship to save them all. Even as he did, the Doctor knew the containment wouldn't hold it for long and Jack was sacrificing himself to save them all. Something that he would do again aboard the Game station. He hadn't planned on leaving Jack behind, but when Jack died and then was brought back by the power of the Bad Wolf, he felt wrong.

Traveling with just Rose, he had fun, but truthfully he missed Jack and often wondered what he was up to. Late one night while Rose was sleeping he tracked Jack down and watched him walking on the streets of Cardiff. He had a wife and a child and was happy. He wasn't going to take that away from him and so he had slipped back into the TARDIS and left. The second time he returned to Jack was right after Rose had been taken from him. Donna had saved his life and told him to find someone and so he did. He went to Jack. This time Jack was living alone in a small flat above a bar. Jack had questions for him, and he knew one day he was going to have to provide answers, but not yet. Instead the two of them sat and drank.

Then the Valiant happened. Afterwards he asked Jack to travel with him again, but Jack had refused. He understood though, after that long year he just wanted to get on with his life as well. He did ask Jack a favor though and that was to watch over Martha. Martha was strong but after the hell she had gone through during that year, he needed to know she would be all right. In turn she was able to watch Jack.

When Rose returned, he was happy to see her. In truth though, he could no longer picture a life with the two of them together. They had both changed a lot during the time she was gone and her telling him not to change broke his hearts. He left her in the other universe without a second thought. His duplicate could take care of her, though he knew by that time, he was disillusioned by her as well. After erasing Donna's memories, he had turned to Jack once more seeking comfort. That was the first night their bodies had moved as one.

He didn't ask Jack to travel with him again, but instead sought him out often for comfort or to talk to. Their relationship shifted though when Jack bought the house in Cardiff. Instead of just showing up for a night or two, he found himself staying for longer. Surprising himself, he began to think of the house as his home and though he still traveled during the day, each night he returned to Jack. It was only after they had taken in the twins, that he stopped traveling and settled down to raise them. Of the two of them, it was Jack who didn't seem to be able to handle a house with a mortgage. He started drinking nightly and going to bed buzzed or even drunk. He was a good father during the day though, so the Doctor let it go. The Doctor didn't mind having to be the one to get up at night with the twins, he didn't sleep much anyways.

Of all the people who had hurt him over the years, he never thought that Jack would be one of them. Even as he laid in the bed in the medi-bay, he still had a small hope, that it was all just a nightmare. He knew it was childish, but he just wanted to wake up in Jack's arms with the sound of the girl's playing in the room across the hall. He would tell Jack about his nightmare and Jack would comfort him. He blinked back the tears that were now freely running down his face. Reaching out he hit the call button and within moments Martha appeared.

"Do you need more pain medication?" She asked softly as she drew up a dose. He nodded weakly. The medication would dull the pain in his leg, but only time could relieve the pain in his hearts. Martha gave him the medication into the IV and then stroked his head lightly. He leaned into her touch as the tears continued to flow.

"I want Jack," he cried as he closed his eyes tightly.

"I know." Martha dropped a kiss on his head and then stayed with him until he drifted off to sleep once more.

-DW-

Jack screamed in pain as he writhed on the bed in the cell. He had detoxed from drugs before but never from 9D as an immortal. It felt as though his body was being consumed by fire and he just wanted the pain to end. Tom came into the cell and took his arm, inserting an IV. He screamed again and tried to wretch his arm away.

"Easy now Jack. We need to keep you hydrated." Tom advised him. He brushed back Jack's sweat soaked hair, in a vain attempt to comfort him. Jack was shaking and his sweaty skin was pale.

"Just kill me," Jack pleaded, no longer seeking penitence for his actions, but just wanting the pain to end.

"I'm not going to kill you." Tom responded softly. It didn't matter to him that Jack would come back if he died.

"Please," Jack pleaded again. His blue eyes opened to look at Tom. They were blood shot and his pupils were unnaturally large in the well lit room. He reached for Tom but his coordination was off and he missed. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Please just help me."

"The Doctor isn't here Jack." Tom replied softly. He stood and moved just out of the cell, where he could still watch Jack and respond quickly if need be. Jack though just laid on the bed crying for the Doctor to help him. He kept reaching for something that Tom couldn't see and Tom knew he was hallucinating. He pulled out his phone and called Martha.

-DW-

The Doctor woke up to the sound of his daughter's giggling. Opening his eyes he looked down to see them making faces silently at each other. Sophie stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes, causing Emily, with her puffed out cheeks to laugh harder.

"Good morning," He said happily, pleased to see his daughters in a better mood.

"Daddy," Twin voices proclaimed happily.

"Aunt Martha said we had to go to school today," Emily protested.

"We don't want to go to school. We want to stay home with you daddy," Sophie added. Twin faces looked up at him. Their smiles were gone and both were giving him sad eyes. He stared back at them a moment.

"You can stay home," He told them, just wanting to see their smiles once more. He was rewarded with them both grinning at him as they cuddled close again. He held them tightly to him and kissed them on the head in turn.

"Come on girls," Martha called coming into the medi-bay and seeing that the Doctor was awake.

"Daddy says we don't have to go to school today," Sophie told her defiantly.

"That's fine, but you still need to help grandma make breakfast," Martha told her as she helped her off the bed. She need to run her morning checks on the Doctor and she preferred to do it without the girls in the room. "She is making pancakes and wants help."

"Make me a banana one," The Doctor told them. They nodded and joined hands as they ran out of the room. He waited until they were gone before turning to Martha. "You are going to poke me," he complained.

"I have to examine you," Martha agreed pulling on a pair of gloves. She checked his capillary refill first. She was pleased that he was still fine in the cast. She wanted to avoid changing it over until they could put him in a smaller one. She started with the cut on his head and then checked his vitals. She ignored his sighs and groans of protest. She needed to know that he was all right physically still, even if mentally he had a long way to go.

"Do you want to start an oral pain killer and see about getting rid of the IV today?" She asked him. To her surprise he actually took a moment to think about it, rather then just taking the needle out of his arm.

"My leg still really hurts." He informed her sadly.

"I know but your leg is set and it just needs to heal now. I think you will be all right on an oral pain killer, but I also know you well enough that if you feel you still need the IV, we can leave it in for another day." Martha told him. He glared at her feeling as though she was trying to trick him. He didn't want the IV, but he also didn't want to handle anymore pain at the moment. Her phone rang and she glanced at the screen. "Think about it while I take this call."

Martha crossed to the other side of the medi-bay and answered her phone. "Hello Tom."

"Sorry to disturb you so early Martha, but we have a problem with Jack. He is in extreme pain due to the detox and I need to know if there is anything at all I can give him to help him." Tom advised her.

"Nothing I am aware of. We don't know how 9D reacts to other drugs and I don't want to inadvertently kill him while trying to help him. He didn't tell you anything he could take." Martha asked.

"He told me he didn't want anything and now he is hallucinating and I can't trust what he tells me will actually help him." Tom responded. "I have him hooked to an IV, but that is about all I can do."

"I understand, I will look into it and let you know." Martha told him. "Good luck." She hung up the phone. The Doctor was watching her. She knew he could hear her side of the conversation but she wasn't sure if he heard Tom's as well.

"In the cupboard there is a small red vial." He told her. She walked over to the cupboard and unlocked it. She didn't see it see it with his normal medications on the top shelf, but on the second shelf slightly in the back. She took it out and brought it over to him. "What is this for?"

"It's not for me." He said looking away. "It helps with the detox effects."

"I see, and how much should we give him?" She wondered, neither of them mentioning Jack's name.

".9mgs twice a day in a high energy drip." He answered her quietly. She placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it tightly, comforting him for a second. She pulled out her phone and called Mickey. "Mickey I have a few things for you to take to Torchwood. Can you please stop by on the way and you might as well drop Samuel off here, the girls are skipping school today." She paused. "Love you too." She hung up the phone.

"Is it safe?" Francine asked poking her head in.

"Come on in mum," Martha told her. Francine came in carrying a large plate of pancakes, followed closely by the girls carrying plates. The Doctor actually felt his stomach growl as he smelled the food and hoped they made enough. As hungry as the Doctor felt, when he actually started eating he felt full quickly. He had taken two pancakes, a few pieces of bacon, sausage and potatoes. He ate half of one pancake, a bite of the bacon and only a fork full of potatoes. The rest he was pushing absentmindedly around his plate as he watched the girls eat. Mickey came in with Samuel about halfway through breakfast.

"Brilliant, you all ready have a plate ready for me," Mickey exclaimed as he took the plate off the Doctor. He smiled at Mickey gratefully as Mickey sat down to finish. Martha shook her head as she pulled Samuel on her lap to share with him.

"Didn't you eat before you left?" She chastised Mickey.

"Course we did," Mickey said around his mouth full of food.

"It's not nice to talk with your mouth full Uncle Ricky," Sophie spoke up. The Doctor had been taking a drink of his tea and sputtered as he laughed. Francine took the tea off of him and placed it on the bedside table. Tea dripped down his chin and he coughed hard. His whole body moved with the coughing and his leg seared in pain.

"Oi," Mickey proclaimed indignantly. "Cheeky little one."

"I'm not little," Sophie argued back in protest.

"Enough," The Doctor managed between coughs. He finally stopped but his throat burned and he no longer wanted the tea. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Martha tutted and handed him a napkin. He stared at it for a moment and then used it to cover the tea. "Sophie don't be cheeky to your uncle."

"Sorry daddy," she apologized and began eating again. When breakfast was done, Francine and Mickey left to clean up. Martha sat the children up in front of a telly and turned on cartoons. The cartoon wasn't in English or in any other language that was spoken on earth. Martha wondered why the TARDIS wasn't translating as the children sprawled out on one of the beds to watch.

"I told the TARDIS not to," The Doctor responded to her unasked question. "It is good for them to hear and try to understand other languages and this is an educational cartoon from the planet Mwalimu. They teach many humans across the planets of the second quadrant of the Mistet Stjerne Nebulous. I took the girls there once, they found the fact that the teachers had light blue skin and three eyes strange, though they took to them quickly."

"You'll have to take Samuel and I when you are feeling better. I have been trying to teach him his alphabet but he doesn't want to learn it. He is as bad as his father when it comes to sitting still with a book. Martha laughed.

"I will." The Doctor promised. Martha turned to make sure that the children were still distracted before pulling up a stool next to the Doctor's bed. His face fell a her glaze turned serious.

"Now you never answered my question about whether or not you wanted to keep the IV in." Martha addressed him, her voice professional.

"Can I keep it another day?" He asked, not looking her in the eye.

"Of course you can, if you are sure you need it. First thing tomorrow though, we will take it out and see about getting you on the oral pain killers." Martha advised him. "Though if your leg is still hurting badly enough that you need the IV pain killers, I want to X-ray it again. We might have to remove the cast and reset it."

"All right," He agreed surprising Martha. She expected an argument, but maybe his leg really was hurting him a lot still. She stood and headed to the small room where he kept the X-ray equipment.

-DW-

Mickey arrived at the hub a half an hour past his usual start time. Even with Jack locked up in the cells and the Doctor in the TARDIS Medi-bay he still ran in apologizing briefly to Ianto for being late. Ianto just waved him off as he hurried past Gwen and down towards the cells with the medicine for Jack. He also had with him three bags of a high energy saline solution to give to Jack. Jack's screams pierced the air as he entered the cells. Tom was kneeling next to Jack's cell talking calmly.

"Jack it's all right, nothing is coming for you. You are in Torchwood and you are safe," Tom repeated. Jack didn't listen as he continued to scream. The hallucination of the Doctor had long since faded and now he was gripped in a nightmare.

"How is he doing?" Mickey asked approaching with caution. He looked in the cell to see Jack laying on his back on the floor. His feet were up on the bed and tangled in the blankets. Jack was screaming as he tried to free himself. "Why don't you help him?"

"I tried and he lashed out at me. We need him to calm down before someone attempts to go in there again or he could cause that person serious harm without meaning to." Tom said in the same calm voice he had been using to talk to Jack.

"Martha sent me with these for Jack. There is a high energy drip that is better for his system and a medication that will help him with the detox." Mickey explained handing the bag to Tom. Tom opened the bag and looked inside. On top was a brief note about the medication and also about the drip bags.

"Will it help the hallucinations?" Tom asked Mickey as he looked up at him.

"I don't know." Mickey admitted. "But even if it doesn't it has to be better then the pain that he was in."

"I agree. If you can help me once he calms down, it might be possible for the two of us to get him back on the bed."

"Jack keeps restraints up in the autopsy room just in case. Do you want me to go and get them?" Mickey questioned.

"I really don't want to restrain him with him hallucinating right now. He isn't trying to hurt himself and we are safe out here. It might be a good idea for you to get them out though." Tom replied. Mickey left to get the restraints. By the time he got back, Tom had let himself into the cell and was carefully untangling Jack's feet from the sheets. With Mickey's help, they got Jack back up on the bed.

Mickey tried to comfort Jack as he lay stiff on the bed, writhing in pain. His eyes were wide with fear and pain. Mickey wondered if he was really back with them or if he had just entered a new hallucination. Tom changed the drip over to the new one and then added the medication per Martha's instructions. Almost immediately Jack body went limp and he closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

"That's a relief," Tom sighed as he covered Jack up. He pulled up a chair and sat down to watch Jack making sure he had to adverse reaction to the new medication. Mickey quietly left the cell and headed back up into the hub to work.


	5. Chapter 5

Martha took her time getting the x-ray machine ready for the Doctor. She had no doubt that he was hurting but with it being broken plus the surgery, she expected it to hurt. Just not so much he had to keep being on intravenous pain killers. Though when she really stopped to think about it, the Doctor wasn't use to dealing with pain for a long period. Under normal circumstances he would have entered a healing coma by now and his leg would be healed. She made sure everything was set and then returned to his side.

"Everything is ready to go. Let's see if we can find out why you are still in so much pain," she said as she approached the bed. He held up a finger, indicating one minute as he continued to watch the telly. Martha shook her head as at the same time all four of them burst out laughing at a joke she didn't understand. "Ready now?"

"Yep," He popped the p, "Allons-y."

"Where are you going?" Emily asked in concern as she noticed Martha preparing to move the Doctor's bed.

"Aunt Martha is going to poke daddy's leg. We will be right back," He promised. Martha wheeled him into the next room and took the x-rays of his leg. Afterwards she brought them in and set them up so the Doctor could observe the x-rays as well. She didn't see anything that would be causing him additional pain, but then again she wasn't an expert on Time Lord biology. She hoped that the Doctor would be able to tell her why his leg was still hurting so much.

"Where are my thinking glasses?" He asked.

"I will go get them." She left the room for a moment. She had left his glasses as well as his sonic in his bedside table. She retrieved his glasses and returned to the room, handing them to him. He put them on and then looked at the x-rays.

"Is that a metal plate?" He asked motioning to a spot on his leg.

"Yes, your bone was broken clean through and that one is the one that pierced the skin. We used the metal plate to hold it in place. Is that going to be a problem?" Martha wondered.

"It could be when I regenerate." He replied. "If the bone in my leg changes the plate could cause it to shatter and I will end up with a broken leg again."

"We can do surgery to remove the plate. We would have to replace it with an external fixtator instead. Your leg is to unstable to leave in just a cast without additional support." Martha explained as she reviewed the x-ray with him. She took out a black marker and made a couple of marks on the x-ray. "I would have a specialist actually make the fixtator but based on my experience it would more then likely be attached here and here."

"Ow," The Doctor groaned. His leg throbbed even more just thinking about it. "Leave the plate for now, you can do the surgery later to remove it."

"Are you sure? It might be better to just get it out of the way now."

"No. I want to wait." He replied squinting a little at the x-ray.

"See anything I missed?" Martha questioned and he shook his head no, handing them back to her. "So you are in agreement that you can be switched to the oral pain killers without any problems?"

"Yes," He answered feeling slightly confused and defeated once more. He lay back as she moved him back into the medi-bay. She placed his bed back in its spot. The children barely looked up from the telly as they entered. The Doctor tutted slightly. "Sophie, Emily this is the last episode. Then you need to go out side and play for a while."

"But we want to stay here with you daddy." Emily whined.

"I understand sweetheart but I don't want you watching the telly all day."

"Why don't you ask grandma if she can take you for a walk and you can gather flowers for your daddy to help him feel better," Martha tried.

"Can we get flowers for Papa too?" Sophie wondered.

"I think Papa would like that," The Doctor responded.

"Can we take them to him," Emily asked.

"Not today, Papa is sick. When he is feeling better you can see him." The Doctor said calmly. Twin pouts covered the girl's faces and Emily's eyes teared up. Martha knelt down to their level.

"How about you pick him flowers and then make him a card and I will get Uncle Mickey to take them to him." Martha said calmly.

"It's not fair, I want to see Papa." Emily cried. Martha wrapped her arm around her and cuddled her close, putting out her other arm for Sophie. Sophie immediately joined her. Martha held the girls close.

"Oh I know sweetheart, but you will be able to see your papa soon." Martha cooed softly.

"Promise," Sophie whimpered.

"Yes," The Doctor answered from his bed. He watched on helpless to get out of the bed and offer his daughters any kind of support. While they were out he was going to try to reach a healing coma once more. He needed to be there for them. It didn't matter how much support he was receiving from Martha and Francine. He should be the one comforting his daughters, not Martha. He felt a little selfish for thinking it but he was there dad. He was the one who had sat up long hours when they were infants taking care of them. Now when they needed him the most he was unable to hold them without them coming to him.

After they calmed down, Martha took the children out to get ready. He closed his eyes and tried to force himself into the healing coma. His body fought him though and he sat up quickly. He barely managed to lean off the side of the bed before the little breakfast he had ate came back up. Feeling worse he collapsed back on to the bed and found his favorite dot on the ceiling again.

-DW-

Tom sat beside Jack watching as he tossed and turned in his nightmares. He couldn't help but wonder why Jack had caused himself such pain. He even went so far as to take time off of work to help Jack during his withdraw. He didn't condone Jack's actions by taking the drugs in the first place. He was willing to accept though that Jack was a good man who had made a horrible decision. Being that he wasn't as close to the family as Martha he was able to put aside his feelings for them and view Jack as a patient who needed help. He could do that for him.

He was surprised about mid afternoon when Mickey came in with a plastic vase of flowers and a hand written card that was drawn on construction paper. He took the vase and set it on the floor near the chair. Curious he picked up the card and looked it at. In crayon across the front were the words "Get well soon Papa."

"Your daughters made you a card Jack. Inside they wrote. 'We love and miss you. Come home soon Papa, love Emily and Sophie." Tom told him softly. "That was nice of them wasn't it." He sat the card down next to the chair. The girls were to young to understand that Jack probably wasn't going home. Tom wondered if the Doctor knew about the flowers and the card but decided it wasn't any of his business.

-DW-

Jack woke slowly. His head was pounding and the light in the room was making it worse. He felt dizzy. He opened his eyes further, moving to sit up. As he did so he briefly wondered when he had been moved from the Torchwood cells to a boat in the middle of a storm. He paused. He was afraid if he moved at all that he was going to be sick.

"It's all right Jack, just lay back down." Tom's gentle voice spoke up. Jack felt a hand on his shoulder easing him back towards the mattress. Jack looked up into Tom's face. Rather then seeing Tom though, the man was distorted and terrifying. His face was twisted with red eyes that blazed out at him. As he spoke to Jack, sharp teeth lined his mouth. Jack backed away from him quickly causing himself to gag. Without warning his stomach protested the sudden movement and Jack got sick all over the mattress in front of him.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered. He hoped that the creature with Tom's voice would kill him quickly and not make him suffer for too long.

"No need to be sorry. We just need to get the sheets changed and it will be all right." Tom reassured him again. He reached out to collect the blanket and Jack backed further away from him. Tom stopped and moved back a little from Jack.

"I don't know what you are seeing Jack, but I am not going to hurt you. I just need to change your blankets since you were sick all over them." Tom reassured him and then once again reached for the blankets. Jack cried out as he grabbed them and hid his head. Tom removed the blankets as he tried to figure out if Jack was showing any improvement. He couldn't tell if his voice was actually penetrating Jack's hallucination. It was still early in his new treatment though and could just be the medication hadn't fully taken affect.

Tom took the blanket out of the cell, locking it behind him. He took the blanket to the small laundry room they had and deposited the blanket in to the sink. He rinsed the blanket out and then left it to be washed later before heading up into the main hub to retrieve a new blanket from the autopsy room.

"How is he doing?" Mickey asked as Tom passed through.

"About the same as before." Tom replied, not breaking his stride.

"Mike called, he said he would be in later today to observe Jack and his hallucinations. He said they could offer prospective on what he is thinking." Ianto explained as he followed Tom.

"I don't think they will. Right now he sees me as someone to be afraid of." Tom answered. He grabbed a fresh blanket and sat it on the bed. Grabbing a small towel, he got it wet and stuck it in a plastic bag. He placed the towel on top of the blanket and carried them back to the cell. Jack had moved off the bed in his absence and was examining the flowers with fascination. He didn't look up as Tom entered the cell again and laid the blanket out on the bed. Taking the towel out of the bag he knelt down next to Jack.

"I brought you a towel so that you can clean your face up." He told him softly. Jack didn't hear him, Tom leaned around and saw that Jack's eyes were glossy again and he was lost in a hallucination. At least this one seemed pleasant. Tom put the towel back in the bag and waited.

-DW-

That night after everyone had gone to bed, the Doctor lay brooding alone in the medi-bay. Martha had offered to stay with him another night and he instead insisted that she sleep in his room upstairs. He needed to think and being surrounded by people didn't give him much of a chance. Martha thankfully bid him goodnight and had gone to sleep on the couch so she could listen for the children during the night. She left her phone on the bedside table.

The Doctor didn't sleep though as he lay thinking about his life with Jack. He loved Jack with both of his hearts and even though Jack had betrayed him, his love for him hadn't changed. Even with Jack being the source of his pain, he wanted Jack near him and to help him. The problem came down to the fact that he didn't trust Jack anymore. He didn't know if he would be able to accept Jack's help even if he was standing beside the bed offering it. Pushing aside the fact he didn't trust his husband for a moment, he wondered if he could forgive Jack. The answer he immediately realized was yes.

It would take a lot of work on both their parts. If Jack cleaned himself up and stopped using drugs, he could forgive him. He would also need to cut back on his drinking. The Doctor didn't mind Jack having the occasional drink, in fact he tended to have on with him. It was the constant drinking that was the problem. Coming to terms with the fact he could forgive Jack he went back to his first question. Could he trust Jack again? That answer wasn't as easy.

He had more then just himself to think about in that answer. He had his two beautiful little girls to worry about. If he trusted Jack again and invited him back into their home and the children ended up hurt, he would never forgive himself. Trusting Jack was going to take more time. They would need to talk about what happened first and in order to do that he was going to have to be on his feet. He looked at the IV going into his arm. In order to be on his feet the IV was going to have to come out. That meant the oral pain killers.

Before he lost the nerve of switching over, he took the IV out of his arm and laid it aside. Looking at the time, he realized the stupidity of taking the IV out right then. By the time morning came most of the pain killers would be out of his system and he would be begging for the oral ones. Looking around the bed he saw no crutches or wheelchair to assist him across the room. He was completely stuck. Hoping to avoid most of the pain he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep.

Within a few hours though he was awoken by sharp pains in his leg. It felt as though someone was trying to shove a red hot poker through his skin and he cried out with the pain. With shaking hands he reached for the phone that Martha had left. Pulling up the contacts he dialed her number and listened to the phone ringing. It took several rings and then thankfully she answered.

"Hello?" She asked sleepily.

"Martha I need you," He told her quietly.

"I'm on my way." The phone went dead and a minute later she walked into the medi-bay. She took one look at the IV laying next to the bed and shook her head. "Is there any particular reason you took your IV out?"

"I need to talk to Jack." He responded still keeping his voice low.

"Well being that he is in Torchwood and you are here with a broken leg, I don't think that is going to happen right now." She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she went to the cupboard to get his pain killers.

"I can drive the TARDIS with one leg Martha." He rolled his eyes at her back.

"And I suppose you are going to accomplish that with no crutches and a catheter?" Martha grabbed a bottle of water and returned to his side with them.

"You could remove the catheter now and give me crutches." He told her.

"I'm not removing it until morning and I am not giving you crutches until Mickey gets here in case you need help. If you want the catheter out now, you are going to have to take it out yourself."

"No ta," He grimaced slightly at the thought.

"I didn't think so." She smiled at him as she handed him his pain pills and the bottle of water. He gratefully placed them in his mouth and took a long drink of the water. Being that he woke her in the middle of the night, he didn't complain as she cleaned the small amount of blood off of his arm and placed the plaster over the needle mark.

"There now get some more sleep." She kissed him on the forehead and he pouted slightly, though secretly he didn't mind the gesture.

"Goodnight Martha," He said as he settled down, pulling the blankets up to his chin. Normally he would curl on his side around Jack or a pillow if Jack had to work late. Since that wasn't an option, he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

-DW-

Jack looked around the meadow that was growing along the bottom of the cell. Bright flowers grew from in between the cracks in the brick floor and the garden seemed to sway slightly from a breeze. He stood, trying to feel the breeze, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Kneeling down he took one of the flowers in his hand and breathed in its scent.

The meadow reminded him of a planet that the Doctor and him had shared a picnic on, not long before the girls came into their lives. The sky of the meadow though had been a light blue, similar to Earths. Unlike Earth though, this planet's life only consisted of the trees and flowers that grew there and a few animals. The species that would one day populate the planet, hadn't evolved yet from its tree dwelling ancestors. Jack smiled as the Doctor knelt down next to him.

"Do you remember when you brought me here," Jack asked him quietly. The Doctor didn't answer him. That was okay though. Jack held on to the memory tightly. They couldn't go back, but at least in the meadow they were happy once more.

-DW-

The Doctor didn't sleep again that night as he waited for morning. He was bored laying in the bed with nothing to do for the first hour. He sent Martha several messages. Finally she came in, took his phone, leaving him a notebook and his thinking glasses. By morning the notebook was filled with calculations and scribbles on ways he could improve the TARDIS. When she returned to the medi-bay again, she had the girls with her. Both of them were dressed for school and had twin pouts on their faces.

"We want to stay with you Daddy." Emily whined and Sophie nodded her agreement.

"You have to go to school today." He said firmly. "I will be here when you get home and then we will have supper together at the table."

"But daddy," Sophie began but he cut her off.

"No buts. Now come give me a hug and then grandma is going to take you to school." The Doctor stated as he saw Francine appear in the doorway. The girls reluctantly came over and gave him a hug before heading out with Francine to go to school. He watched them go. He wanted them to stay home with him again, but he also knew the healthiest thing for them was to continue their normal routine. They were confused enough without Jack being there and him being in the medi-bay, he didn't want to confuse them any further.

He ate his breakfast and then Martha removed the catheter for him while they waited for Mickey to arrive. He was determined that after he was up on crutches he was going to go see Jack, but the longer they waited the more he began to lose his nerve. He chastised himself silently. He was a Time Lord and he had walked into and away from people and species that had betrayed him in the past. The difference was this was Jack. He had trusted Jack with his life and Jack had hurt him.

"Ready," Martha asked as Mickey came into the medi-bay. He smiled at her happy for the distraction. The three of them spent the next while getting him up on the crutches. He found it a little harder then he thought it would be to not put his foot down, but swing through the crutches. Martha didn't release him from the medi-bay though, until he made it to the bathroom and back. She then made him cross the medi-bay. Once she was happy that he wasn't going to fall over and he could handle the crutches she agreed he could leave the TARDIS. He exited the medi-bay and rather then leave the TARDIS, he made his way over to the controls and began setting her coordinates. Mickey and Martha followed him into the control room, exchanging looks when they saw what he was doing.

"And where are you going?" Martha wondered slightly exasperated as she watched him. He looked at her confused.

"Too see Jack." He answered as he turned back to the console.

"Are you sure you are ready?" Martha questioned him sensitively. He stopped what he was doing and hung his head.

"I need to understand what happened Martha." He whispered.

"I know you do. I just don't think going to see Jack right now is the best thing for you or for Jack."

"Why not?" He snipped, slightly harsher then he meant to.

"Because you are barely back on your feet and Jack is still suffering the effects of withdraw. The medicine you gave him is helping the pain side of it, but it is doing nothing to stop the hallucinations." Martha told him calmly. "I think it would be better if you waited a few days before you tried to talk to him. Then the drugs should be mostly out of his system and the two of you can begin to deal with what happened."

He paused with his hand on the hand break. She made sense, of course she did. Martha had always been one of his more logical companions. The thing he didn't want to admit was that if he waited, he was afraid he wasn't going to be able to go at all. He had to go and see Jack before he lost his nerve all together.

"Are you going to stop me?" He asked her finally.

"No," she sighed.

"Then allons-y," He said, pulling the hand break. Driving the TARDIS with only one leg was harder then he thought it was going to be. He bounced around it slightly and almost fell over. He was thankful Mickey was there to catch him or he would have hit the grating hard. He landed the TARDIS, shakily in the hub.

"That was better then one of your normal landings." Mickey teased him.

"Oi," he responded indignantly, but with a small grin. "You try driving her with one leg when she is suppose to have a full crew of six Time Lords."

"Could probably do better then you." Mickey laughed.

"He failed his drivers test." Martha chimed in.

"Only the first time." He informed her.

"Yeah, but I bet you only took the once." Mickey added. He didn't surprise either of them when he nodded. "So you failed and they gave you the TARDIS anyways?"

"Gave, took, it's all the same. Doesn't matter now." He told them as he headed towards her doors.

"You stole the TARDIS," Mickey sounded surprised.

"I borrowed the TARDIS. I had every intention of returning her...one day." He gave Mickey a look but he still was smiling. Approaching the doors he grabbed his coat off of the coral and Mickey helped him to put it on without question. Mickey then went ahead of him so that he could open the doors for the Time Lord. The Doctor took a deep breath. It was now or never, slowly he made his way out into the hub to see Jack.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack was having a rare lucid moment when the sound of the TARDIS engines filled the hub. Panic filled him as the sound grew louder. The Doctor was coming for him. In his hallucinations the Doctor was always by his side and happy unfortunately he couldn't remember them. He remembered the look of pain and hatred the Doctor had given him as he crawled to the TARDIS. He also remembered that though his husband was a loving and caring man he also had a darker side.

The darker side was the man who stood in front of armies, hands tucked into his coat and watched them flee. It was also that man who normally gave no second chances and though he didn't like killing, he would if he had to. Jack knew over the years that he had received more second chances from the Doctor then he possibly deserved. Maybe it was finally time for the Doctor to end his long life. So far there had been nothing that could keep him dead, but if anyone could find away it would be the Doctor.

"The Doctor is here," Ianto announced as he entered the cells.

"Doctor I'm sorry," Jack screamed, covering his ears. "Please don't leave me here. I don't understand, I was dead, I know I was dead. The Dalek's killed me. I didn't mean to come back, I swear I didn't. Just tell me how I am still alive."

"He shouldn't have came here until Jack was ready to see him. What is Martha thinking?" Tom spat, while Jack screamed in the abandoned Game Station. "Can you distract them for a minute?"

-DW-

Once inside the hub though, the Doctor completely lost his nerve. He hesitated by the rift manipulator. If he turned right, he would head down the stairs and into the cells, where Jack was being kept. If he turned left though he would be heading towards Jack's office and the CCTV monitors. He had faced many trials during his 900 years but at the moment choosing a direction seemed like the most daunting task of them all. Thankfully Ianto came to his rescue.

"Jack is having a bad time at the moment sir. Tom ask that you give him a moment to calm down before he has visitors. Would you like a cup of tea while you wait." Ianto asked politely as he approached them from the cells.

"Please," He smiled turning left. He made his way over to the CCTV and tried to sit down in the chair. Martha shook her head and came over with a second chair for him to prop his broken leg up on. He relaxed back as Ianto came over with a hot cup of tea. Taking a drink he turned his attention to the CCTV. Jack was sitting on the bed with his legs tucked up and his hands covering his ears. Even without sound the Doctor could tell that he was screaming. Jack was suffering. Even though it was Jack's fault for taking the damn drugs to begin with, the Doctor still didn't like to see his husband in so much pain. He set the cup of tea down and grabbed his crutches, making it awkwardly to his feet.

"Let Tom handle it," Martha commented as he made his way across the hub and towards the stairs leading down to the cell. He ignored her as he stood at the top and tried to figure out how to go down without falling. Dropping one crutch he grabbed on to the railing. Using the railing and the crutch he took a step and tried to swing the leg with the cast. His hearts pounded as he lost his balance.

"I've got you." Mickey exclaimed as he grabbed the Time Lord to keep him from falling down the stairs. "I don't think that was very clever do you? How you survived all these years travelling alone amazes me sometimes."

"At least I'm not an idiot," He gasped as he tried to catch his breath from the scare. Mickey laughed it off and helped the Doctor the rest of the way down the stairs. As they made their way slowly down, Jack's screams became louder. He could hear Jack begging him to come back and wondered how many of Jack's hallucinations he was a part of. Once they reached the bottom, Mickey handed him his crutches back and he balanced himself, continuing his way towards Jack's cell. Tom was sitting outside of the last cell and the Doctor made his way over to him. He paused just long enough to say hello to Janet, before continuing his journey.

"You shouldn't be here," Tom stood as he approached, blocking his view of Jack.

"Are you going to stop me," He asked Tom narrowing his eyes.

"No," Tom relented moving aside. The Doctor moved closer to the cell. Jack was to lost to notice him as he approached the glass and placed his hand on it. He tried not to show it as he watched his husband, but he was thankful for the glass that separated them. Without it, he didn't feel as though he be as close to Jack, let alone in Torchwood.

"Jack," He called out softly. Jack's screams continued as the Doctor wondered how he was going to get through to him. He sat down in Tom's vacated chair and waited. He watched with slight interest as Jack began to calm down and then looked around the small cell confused for a moment. Jack started to move and as he did so, he noticed that the Doctor was watching him.

"Are you really here?" Jack asked as he moved closer to the glass. The Doctor's broken leg stuck out in front of him as a clear reminder of the pain that Jack had caused. He stopped his slow approach as the Doctor flinched slightly.

"Yes," The Doctor swallowed hard.

"I'm so sorry." Jack apologized, hanging his head in shame. The apology hung in the air like a dead weight. The Doctor didn't like seeing Jack in pain but that didn't mean he forgave him yet. His leg throbbed painfully and reminded him that he should be at home resting, not sitting outside of the cell with his husband locked up in it. No, what he really should have been doing was exploring the universe and saving people while the children were at school, not laid up with a broken leg.

"Yeah," The Doctor said at last, rubbing his neck, not accepting or denying the apology yet. He had a lot of time to think about what happened the last few days. Watching Jack hallucinate and lash out made up his mind. Even though he loved Jack, his thoughts kept coming back to the girls. If it was just Jack and him traveling like they did before, it would be different. He had been in an abusive relationship before, he had been young then and thought he learned his lesson. Still he couldn't count how many times he had been hurt and then forgiven the Master before he finally ran. He swore to himself once he had left that he would never let it happen again. Yet he knew if it had been just Jack and him still then he would forgive him and allow him back into his life. He had two daughters at home though who trusted him to keep them safe. If Jack attacked either of them in a drug induced rage, he would kill him and he would find a way to make sure that Jack stayed dead.

"I don't want you to see the girls until you are cleaned up and out of this cell," He said finally as he grabbed his crutches. He struggled to get to his feet again and stand facing his husband, staring him straight in the eye. The full fury of the oncoming storm blazed in his eyes and Jack stepped back a few inches. "If you hurt them though, know that I won't hesitate to make sure that you never see them again."

"Would you kill me?" Jack whispered.

"No, but it would take a few billion years for you to escape the dead locked chains." The Doctor's voice held no emotion from his explanation, but Jack shuddered all the same. The Doctor had told him what he had done to the Family when they chased him. Jack just wondered where the Doctor would leave him to starve for an endless cycle until finally he was able to get free. No one could escape dead lock chains though without a key. The thought of being trapped for an eternity made him fall to his knees, covering his ears. He started crying about being buried in dirt and that he was sorry Gray. It took most of the Doctor's will power to turn away from him.

"You need to leave now," Tom demanded, stepping forward.

"Come on Doctor, let's get you home." Martha stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. He nodded and headed out of the cells. Mickey had to help him up the stairs again and once back in the hub he made his way to the TARDIS. He just wanted to go home and lay down. He never thought he could consider a small house on Earth his home, but that is exactly what it was. Was it still his home though, with his family destroyed... that he wasn't sure of.

He landed the TARDIS in the office and then made his way to the living area. He wasn't ready to face the stairs to Jack and his bedroom so instead he laid down on the couch. It wasn't long enough for him to recline completely with his leg and it was awkward. He shifted several times trying to get comfortable before Martha joined him with several pillows and a bottle of water.

"Here," she tsked as she helped him to prop up his leg. He sighed with relief as they finally found a more comfortable position and he relaxed into the couch. She pulled a couple of pills out of her pocket and handed them to him along with the bottle of water. The pills were in his mouth and being washed down before he thought about it. "You shouldn't have gone to see him."

"I know," He agreed. He had gone for answers, but instead he had left without them. Maybe when Jack was better he could get them, for now though he just had to live with the knowledge that Jack had found comfort in drugs and alcohol rather then his family. It hurt because he had trusted Jack and let him get closer then anyone in a long time and once again he had been betrayed. Was it his destiny to always end up alone in the end? To be given a glimpse of happiness, just to have it taken away from him again. He turned away from Martha as he felt his eyes burn from the tears gathering. Martha didn't miss it though and sat down on the edge of the couch beside him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him.

"It's all right, just let it all out." She cooed at him softly. He didn't though, instead he carefully eased himself out of her arms and turned to face the back of the couch.

"I'm tired," He informed her, closing his eyes. He heard her sigh and then the sound of her footsteps leaving the room. He waited until he was sure she was gone, before he let the first tear roll down his face.

-DW-

Martha could hear the Doctor sniffling from the living room as she made herself a cup of coffee. She wanted to go back in and comfort him but he had made it clear that he wanted to be alone. He need to talk though and she wasn't going to keep letting him avoid talking. She decided to let him calm down and then she would talk to him. She wait until he had gone quiet and then gave him a few more minutes to clean his face up while she made him a cuppa as well as a few slices of toast with marmalade. Carrying it out though she saw that his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. She glanced at the time, as much as he needed sleep, he also need to eat and talk. Setting a timer on her watch she returned to the kitchen.

When the timer went off, she returned to the living room to wake him. His breathing had changed again though and was soft and slow. Kneeling down next to him, she took his wrist to check his pulse. His pulse was slow as well.

"Why now," She asked him as she tried to confirm that he had finally reached a healing coma. In a way it was good because depending on how long he could maintain the coma, his leg would heal significantly. The problem was that he hadn't really eaten the last few days and didn't have the energy to rapidly heal his leg. Also he was in the living room so she wasn't able to monitor him or confirm that he was healing and not in danger. The third problem was that it was less then two hours before the girls came home and she didn't want them to find their dad unresponsive.

Pulling out her cell, Martha first called Mickey to help her move the Doctor into the TARDIS. Next she prepared an over night bag for the girls and then called her mum to take them to her house instead of bringing them home. When Mickey arrived at the house, he carefully carried the Doctor in to the medi-bay. Martha hooked the Doctor up to monitors and confirmed that he was in a healing coma. His energy had dropped quickly though and he wasn't going to be able to maintain it more then a few hours at his current rate.

Martha continued to carefully monitor him as his energy continued to drop. Once it hit about %55 his levels would stop healing quickly and he would go into the second phase of the coma where his body rested as his energy levels came back up. Martha watched in concern though as he passed the %55 mark and his levels dropped to %45. It was extremely dangerous for his levels to drop much further and Martha got a high energy drip ready just in case.

"Come on Doctor, you need to let your body recover now," Martha told him softly, knowing he couldn't hear her. She wished she had a way to safely wake him up, but it was dangerous to bring him out of the coma before his body was ready. His levels hit %40 and she grabbed the IV to assist him. As she swabbed his arm though, his body went rigid.

"What's he doing?" Mickey asked from his perch on the next bed over. He had stayed behind to make sure Martha didn't need any more assistance as she cared for the Doctor.

"He's seizing," Martha told Mickey more calmly then she felt. He was rigid for only about a minute before his body twisted and jerked on the bed. The seizure was short but violent and he immediately started to breathe again. His energy levels had dropped to %34 following the seizure and Martha quickly hooked up the IV, running it into his body to help him. The levels thankfully didn't drop again and over the night began to climb again slowly. Martha waited until they were up to %60 percent before checking his leg.

His bone had knitted together enough that the full cast he was in was no longer necessary. With Mickey's assistance she changed it over to a shorter walking cast. The incision from his surgery had most closed but she was going to leave the stitches in for longer. The bruising on his leg though had barely been touched and was what would cause the most pain now. The Doctor was once again stable and now all they could do was wait for him to finish healing or wake up.

-DW-

The Doctor felt stiff as he woke up. Without opening his eyes, he reached up and rubbed his neck. It was a bad idea falling asleep on the couch, he was going to have to figure out the stairs soon so he could sleep in his own bed. His leg had a horrible ache to it and he wondered when the last time he had taken pain killers. It was right before he had gone to sleep, so his leg shouldn't be hurting so much. His time sense was off, but he attributed that to the pain killers and also his hunger. The hunger crept up on him out of nowhere and he felt as though it had been years since the last time he ate.

"Doctor, are you waking up?" Martha asked softly. He smiled and then opened his eyes. His smile faded slightly as he realized that he was once again in the medi-bay with an IV.

"Oh no," He tried to sit up quickly, but she placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He must have looked confused as well as panicked because Martha began to speak again before he could ask.

"You finally achieved a healing coma," she explained using her doctor's voice.

"How long?" He asked slightly confused.

"Three days you have been in the medi-bay." Martha informed him.

"Three days," he squeaked. "The girls..."

"Are fine. Don't worry about them, my mum is taking care of them while you recover." Martha shook her head. "Do you really think we wouldn't watch them for you."

"No, but three days?" He questioned her. He glanced at his leg and could see that it was propped up on a pillow with a shorter cast. If he had been healing for three days, his leg should have been healed.

"Your energy levels dropped to low and you've been under while they came back up." Martha explained softly. She was going to wait and tell him about the seizure until she was sure he was recovering again. "You shouldn't go into healing comas without the proper energy to maintain them.

"Sorry." He smiled sheepishly at her.

"It's all right," she accepted. "I am going to check you over and then I will get you something to eat. I have been keeping you on a high energy drip to help your levels come back up, but I bet you are hungry."

"Starving," he agreed, pouting slightly. "Can I eat before the check?"

"Not a chance." Martha laughed.

Even thought the Doctor had tried to get out of Martha checking him over, he put up no further argument about it. He was just as worried as Martha about his health. He needed to confirm that he was well enough for his daughters to come home. So he sat there and allowed her to check his vitals over. He put up with a blood pressure test. He even followed her instructions to breathe deeply and hold it as she listened to his heart and lungs.

"How are my girls doing?" The Doctor asked as Martha pulled out a thermometer. He again didn't argue as he opened his mouth to place it underneath his tongue.

"Their understandably confused. They have been staying at my mum's house and she has been taking care of them." Martha explained. "They have been acting out a bit due to the situation, but nothing that she can't handle." She took the thermometer out, looking at the reading.

"She can bring them home. I will be able to take care of them easier now that my leg is almost healed." The Doctor stated confidently. He didn't like the look that Martha got as she pulled a chair over and sat down on it. "It is almost healed isn't it. I mean it feels better and you have it in the shorter cast."

"Yes your leg is almost healed. We took x-rays of it yesterday and we are projecting about two more weeks in the cast though you did nothing to heal the stitches or the bruising." Martha informed him. He just nodded as he waited for her to go on. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. She reached over, taking his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly. "I also agree that you are healthy enough for the girls to come home soon. I still want to keep you under observation for the next twenty four hours though. So while they can come to visit, I would prefer they stay with my mum one last night."

"That will be even harder on them. If they come home, I want them to stay home." The Doctor argued back.

"You have only just woken up from a coma that you have been in for three days. You trust me to be your doctor, now even though it is hard, I need you to listen to me. I am not trying to keep you from your children, I am trying to give you the best opportunity to recover so that you can take care of them." Martha's voice remained calm even as the Doctor's had rose.

"All right," he relented at last.

"I will go and get you something to eat now, you just relax." Martha advised him. She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a large plate of fish and chips. The food was hot and fresh. He took it greedily and finished the plate off quickly, not even questioning where it came from.

"Can I have some more?" He asked her hopeful and she laughed.

"Give that time to settle and then if you are still hungry I will get you more." Martha responded, surprised he could still be hungry. The amount of food on the plate was more then he normally ate. She knew that his coma was his body healing, but she still wanted to be cautious just in case. Once he was up and about if he wanted to eat everything he could get his hands on, she wouldn't stop him. She also wouldn't comfort him after he was sick to his stomach.

He rested throughout the day even though he was bored. Now that he was awake he wanted to get up and move around. He instead was stuck in the medi-bay bed with only a few books and a telly that he didn't want to watch. Laying there with nothing to distract him, his mind kept drifting to things he didn't want to think about. Most of all it kept wondering how his family was. He wanted the girls home though he understood Martha's reasoning of keeping them away one more night. Still he wanted to hold them and hear them giggle over silly things. He wanted to watch Jack chase them around the yard, catching them, then tickling their stomachs until they slipped away again.

"How's Jack," He finally asked late that night.

"He is doing better. The hallucinations have slowed down and he is having more periods where he is lucid. We are hoping to have him staying in his room in the hub rather then the cell by the end of the week." Martha advised him and he paled slightly. "Don't worry Doctor, he will still be on watch until we are sure that he is not a danger to you or anyone else."

"I don't want to see him again right now." The Doctor informed her.

"I am happy to hear that because for now we think it is best you don't see him. He was really upset by your visit the other day and both his doctor's think that it would be best if you didn't see him again until he is no longer hallucinating. On top of that you still have yet to actually deal with what happened between you and Jack. Maybe it would be good for you to take the time apart to actually talk about it." Martha advised him seriously.

"I am dealing with it." He snipped at her, knowing it was a lie even as he said it. He had been hiding from what happened to him and then had been in the coma. Still he didn't want to talk about it and she could stare at him all night if she wanted to. It wasn't going to get him to talk.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor wasn't going to talk to Martha. He didn't want to discuss his problems with her and have her know everything that was bothering him. He tried not to pay attention to the fact that she was still sitting in the chair nearby with her arms folded across her chest. She was staring at him determinedly and just like when they had been on New Earth he knew she wasn't going to leave until he spoke with her. He wasn't sure why he found it so hard to talk to her now. They had spent many hours aboard the TARDIS just talking and many lonely nights discussing their past when they were stuck in the 1960's together. Maybe it was different this time because rather then discussing something far in the past, he was talking about something that was going to affect his future as well. Finally after almost an hour of silence he sighed.

"I've been married before. I had a wife back on Gallifrey and we had three children together. I never loved my wife though, and was only with her do to an arranged marriage. I could have ran but instead I decided to appease my father and agreed. In the end I couldn't stay. I loved my child more then anything, but neither me nor my wife were happy. I was shunned by my family and the children were taken from me to live with my wife's parents when they weren't at the academy." He began not looking at her.

"I was lonely without them and in a moment of weakness I turned to my old school friend Koschei. I like to think that we loved each other but we didn't have a healthy relationship. Rather then being partners like Jack and I are, he was dominant over me. For years I let him be until one day he pushed me to far and I ran. After that I swore I wasn't going to have a relationship again. I wasn't going to let anyone get that close."

"I lived alone in a small flat, just barely getting by, until one day I took the TARDIS and ran with my granddaughter Susan. I have been exploring the universe for eight hundred years now and during that time I live and flirted. I was engaged and married several times without meaning to, or just so I could escape with my life, but I never had an actual relationship before Jack."

"Not even with Rose?" Martha asked slightly in surprise. She had thought that they were together with the way the Doctor had mourned Rose when she first met him.

"No. I enjoyed her company and missed her dearly at first. I never gave into her demands for a relationship though. I was selfish that time and it was because I would out live her. With Jack though that wasn't a problem. With Jack, he will never die and I found myself trusting him more then I ever have before. As you know we married, we settled down and we bought a house. I was living in a house, taking care of my children and happy. I never thought it would happen again." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was getting to the part that he didn't want to tell her. The past had been easy but he didn't want her to know what really happened. He had all ready told her this much though, he might as well continue.

"For the first few years Jack was happy to. Lately though he was drinking a lot more and I was starting to get concerned with how much he was consuming. He also came home a few times with his eyes dilated and talking nonsense. He would soon after pass out on the couch or in our bed. I confronted him several times about being on drugs but he denied it every single time. He would stop for a few weeks and life would go on. Even with his drinking he never hurt me or the children, though on nights he was really drunk, I would put them to bed early and stay with them in their room." The Doctor admitted.

"You were afraid of him?" Martha questioned.

"No, I just wanted to make sure my children were safe. He never tried to come into their room or to hurt us. They never realized the reason that we stayed in their room. I would read them stories and play games with them. Jack would eventually pass out and I would hear his snoring. If he wasn't in our bed I would move him there and then lay down. He never remembered what happened in the morning." The Doctor knew the story made him look weak and he was ashamed he didn't stop Jack before it got so bad.

"I was going to talk to him about his drinking the next day. Yet, even that night as we left the club together I never thought he was going to hurt me. He slammed me up against the wall and yelled at me that I didn't want to spend time with him outside of our home anymore." The Doctor's voice cracked as he spoke. It took him twice as long to tell Martha the rest then it had to tell her the beginning of the story.

"He hit me, and then knocked me down before breaking my leg. I still tried to help him, I begged him to let me take him into the medi-bay and examine him. He hit me again and the second time I blacked out. When I came to he was..." he trailed off not wanting to say the words out loud. "You know the rest." He didn't realize that tears were sliding down his face until Martha offered him a handkerchief. He took it and wiped his face as he sniffled.

"I had also been worried about his drinking and was going to talk to you about it." Martha informed him. "Blaming ourselves about his drinking isn't going to help anything though. Jack is a grown man and he knew what could happen if he drank yet he kept doing it. I am just sorry that it got to this point before we all agreed to get him help."

"Me too," The Doctor whispered. "I miss him but I don't want him to come home. Not yet."

"I know it is hard but you need to figure out what you want at this point. You will be back up on your feet sooner then expected. Maybe what would be best is taking the girls and having a little bit of fun. There is a small cabin that Mickey and I rent sometimes near the coast. What if we all went there and you had time to just think and spend with your daughters?" Martha suggested.

"They have school." He answered immediately. "Though I suppose I could teach them for a few weeks. I always did like teaching."

"So is that a yes?" Martha questioned all ready pulling out her phone to make the arrangements.

"Yes," The Doctor answered as he looked forward to the time away.

Martha made plans for them to go to the cabin the following evening. The cabin was a small three bedroom one that was owned by a friend of the family. They never stayed in the cabin themselves but instead allowed others to rent it for vacations. There was a family going to stay in about two months but they could have it until then. Martha thanked them before hanging up.

"We.." She began.

"I heard." The Doctor smiled. With his hearing he was able to listen to both sides of the conversation with ease. "Do we have to wait until tomorrow though?"

"Yes, I still want to observe you overnight and there are a few more things we need to discuss before I am comfortable to release you." Martha informed him.

"Oh, such as?" he wondered.

"Your energy dipped down to low when you were in the healing coma." Martha informed him.

"And I had a seizure," He concluded and she nodded surprised that he was aware of it. "That can happen and unlike with humans it is nothing to worry about. Basically what happens is my body is continuing to heal even though it doesn't have the resources for the healing coma. If the healing coma were to continue, the resources would all be used up and death without regeneration would occur. To circumvent this and allow the body to enter the recovery stage of the healing coma a seizure often occurs around %45 energy levels."

"So it is only because your energy levels were too low and your body forced you to stop healing?" Martha asked making sure that she understood what he was saying.

"Yep," He agreed popping the p. "The only time to worry is if the energy levels continue to fall after the seizure or if more then one seizure occurs during the recovery stage."

"Your energy levels dropped more immediately after the seizure but they stabilized and then began to rise again." Martha was relieved that he was taking the news well. The last thing she needed to hear was something had gone wrong with the healing coma because they had moved him or because he hadn't eaten. "That is a relief that it isn't anything to worry about though I will continue to keep an eye on you just in case. The second thing we need to discuss is if you are bringing the TARDIS to the cabin, because if you are not, I need to get a medical bag ready for you."

"I will drop her off at Torchwood for a week while we are out there. I could always come back to get her if she is needed." The Doctor advised Martha.

"I will let Ianto know." Martha agreed. Then she ripped out a piece of paper. "Make a list of the medications that you are going to need just in case. I am going to refill my emergency medical bag as well for the children and myself."

Over the next day the two of them prepared a suit case for each of the twins and one for the Doctor. They gathered toys, books and other odds and ends, planning to stay at least a month out at the cabin. While the Doctor was suppose to be resting, Martha went shopping for groceries and anything else that they would need for their trip. It was about a four hour drive to the cabin and then another half hour drive to the nearest store so she wanted to make sure they were prepared.

The Doctor was able to get around the house easier in the shorter cast and he hobbled around on one crutch when Martha wasn't looking. He moved the TARDIS to the hub and didn't stop to say hello to Jack as he made his way out to the SUV where Martha was waiting for him. With the shorter cast he was also able to sit easier in the SUV. After leaving Torchwood they first stopped at her parents house to pick up the children. Samuel was going to be going with them to and Mickey had plans to join them over the weekend.

"Daddy," The girls screamed as the SUV pulled up to the house. They ran over to and he opened the door. His arms were soon after filled with his daughters as they scrambled up into the passenger seat. Martha gave them a moment as she went to collect Samuel and the girl's overnight bag from her mother.

"Oh, I've missed you." He proclaimed as he hugged them tightly, kissing them both several times on the head. "Did you have fun with Grandma?"

"Yes, but we want to go home daddy," Sophie informed him.

"You, me and Emily are all going out to a cabin with Aunt Martha and Samuel instead for a little while." He told them trying to sound cheerful about it.

"No papa?" Emily questioned.

"Not right now. Papa is still sick sweetheart, but I still promise that as soon as he is better you can see him." The Doctor kissed her on the head again.

"Okay everybody, in their seats and buckled." Martha announced as she returned to the SUV. "I want to get to the cabin by nightfall so we need to leave now." The Doctor grunted as Sophie, used his stomach to step on and push her way between the seats to the back. Once the children were in their seats and buckled in Martha climbed in and started the SUV again. The Doctor turned on the radio and settled back. They had a four hour trip in front of them and thankfully with the children in the car, Martha wouldn't make him talk.

-DW-

As the four days passed for Jack, he had become more lucid. He was having almost no periods of hallucinations. The drugs had all but cleared his system thanks to the medicine that the Doctor had gave him and he was no longer considered a danger to others, just himself. With the Doctor not pressing charges, it was decided that it would be safe to let him out of the cell and into the hub, but no further. He was not given permission to work but he was allowed to sleep in his own room in the hub. There was also a round the clock watch on him that went between the members of Torchwood. If he wanted to leave the hub at all it had to be with one of them and not anywhere near the Doctor. Jack agreed not seeing another choice. He had gotten himself into the mess by drinking and doing drugs, now he had to pay the consequences.

So it was that Jack was in his office when he heard the TARDIS arriving to the hub. He wasn't worried that the Doctor was there to see him. Mickey had explained that the Doctor was going to be storing the TARDIS at the hub while he took the girls away for a month. Jack wasn't happy to hear that he wouldn't be able to see them, but it was no less then he deserved. The Doctor had the capability to take them away for the rest of their lives, so the fact that it was only a month was a relief. Perhaps there was still hope yet for the two of them.

Jack watched on the CCTV as the Doctor crossed the hub using his crutch only on one side. He hobbled his way to the door of the hub and then placed the second crutch down before opening the door. Jack chuckled as he watched the Doctor being defiant. He was thankful that he hadn't completely broke the Doctor's spirit. The door to the hub closed and a minute later Ianto entered the office with a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thank you Ianto." Jack smiled as he took the cup. He took a sip and moaned his happiness. Ianto made the best coffee in the universe and this cup was like ambrosia. At least Ianto still seemed to truly like him even though he had screwed up. Gwen was avoiding him and while Mickey talked to him there was anger in both his tone and his eyes. Tom had been there for him, but he hadn't known Tom that well before the incident and Tom was more his doctor then friend. Ianto though still smiled at him and talked to him as though he were human. Ianto all ready seemed to forgive him and he hoped that one day he could forgive himself.

-DW-

"Are we there yet?" Emily asked impatiently from the back seat. They were still about a half an hour from their destination and all of the children had grown restless. Hell he was restless himself. He was use to just getting to where he needed to go by the TARDIS and so this trip, while it seemed like a good idea, had driven him to boredom.

"We will be there soon," Martha responded with a sigh.

"I have to go potty." Sophie whined.

"Can you hold it?" Martha questioned her, looking at the little girl in the rear view mirror.

"No, I have to go now," she insisted.

"A break does sound like a good idea." The Doctor spoke up and Martha glanced at him with a quick sigh. The trip was only suppose to be about four hours but with the constant restlessness of the Doctor and his children it was going on five. She didn't really expect anything less and so as they passed a small shop, she pulled into it.

"All right Emily and Sophie with me to the loo. Doctor you better use both crutches this time when you get out of the SUV or I am going to tape them to your hands so you have no choice but to use them." Martha informed him. She opened the back door so the children could scramble out. He saluted her and then stood on both crutches as they headed into the shop. As soon as she was out of site though he went back to using only one as he looked around.

It wasn't a very interesting shop. It sold food and toiletries at a higher cost for people living in the surrounding area who didn't want to drive to the city. He turned around and headed back outside, hobbling to the main road. There was nothing to see in either direction but more trees. The idea of staying at the cabin was sounding less and less fun the closer they got to it. Still he needed the time away and even if he didn't have the TARDIS he had his sonic tucked inside his suit jacket like normal. Surely there was something at the cabin he could take apart or upgrade to entertain himself.

"Daddy," Emily ran and wrapped her arms around him, surprising him and causing him to land in a heap on the ground. He hissed as his leg jolted painfully as he landed on it and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's not your fault, but you need to be more careful while I am on crutches." he informed her, keeping his voice steady as possible to keep from crying out. Martha tutted but didn't comment on the fact that if he was using his crutches as he should, he may not have fallen. It was clear from the pain on his face he learned his lesson. Instead she leaned down to help him.

"Emily, take Sophie and Samuel to those rocks and see if you can find me a bug." Martha pointed to a group of larger rocks nearby. The children would still be close enough to watch them but not close enough to hear their conversation.

"Yes Auntie." She scrambled up and ran toward her sister.

"All right, do you think you can straighten your leg out so I can examine it or should we be thinking about the fact that you may have made the break worse again?" Martha asked.

"I don't know. I think I can move it, it doesn't feel as badly as it did before. I just landed on it wrong." He replied as he tried to move it. He hissed as she helped guide his leg in front of him. Once his leg was out from under him though the pain subsided a little. He breathed a sigh of relief as she examined him the best she could.

"We will ice it when we get to the cabin and see if that helps, but there isn't much I can do with out a medical room. Do you need more pain relief in the mean time?" She asked.

"No," he sighed. He moved to stand up and she helped him to his feet. He held the crutches correctly with his foot off of the ground. He made his way back to the SUV as she went to gather the children again. He hoped the pain subsided because he wasn't looking forward to another four hours back to the TARDIS.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time they neared the cabin, the Doctor's leg was throbbing in pain. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he focused on not screaming from the pain that his leg was causing him. Every jolt along the dirt road though made him whimper. Thankfully the children in the back seat didn't notice as they laughed and played at getting swayed back and forth by the SUV.

"We're almost there now Doctor." Martha reassured him quietly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see how pale he had became and was worried that he was going to pass out before they reached their destination. If he did there was no way she could carry him inside and she wasn't up for a four hour trip back to the city. It had been a mistake to leave the TARDIS behind.

"I'm going to be sick." He moaned. Martha stopped the SUV and got out, hurrying around to help the Doctor out of the SUV. He barely turned to get out of the vehicle before he was sick all over the ground. "Sorry."

"It's all right. The cabin is about five minutes away. Do you think you can make it." Martha wondered, keeping her voice low.

"Yeah," he agreed. She closed the door and got back in, driving slowly towards the cabin. The Doctor breathed an audible sigh of relief upon seeing it and knowing the trip was over.

"I will get the luggage and unlock the door. You mister need to get inside and put that leg up." Martha informed him as she turned off the SUV.

"Is daddy sick again?" Sophie asked in concern.

"Daddy isn't feeling well but I am going to make him better." Martha reassured her. He got out of the SUV and followed Martha up to the cabin leaning heavily on the crutches. Martha hurried ahead of him to unlock the door so he could go straight through and sit down. The inside of the cabin was simply furnished with a couch, two arm chairs and a coffee table between them. Behind the arm chairs there was a dining room table with four chairs and then a low cut wall leading into the kitchen. He slowly made his way to one of the chairs and sat down heavily, cursing under his breath as he did.

Martha went through into the kitchen and checked the freezer for ice. There was a few that wouldn't be fit to add to a drink, but that was fine since she wanted them for his leg. She placed them in a bag and returned to his side. Carefully lifting his leg she propped it on the table. She then placed the bag of ice on a towel on top of the cast.

"How is it feeling?" She asked him as she moved to check his toes.

"Worse," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Daddy.." Sophie came running into the cabin.

"Not now sweetheart," He hissed.

"But daddy..."

"I said not now. Go and play with Emily." He snapped and she turned to run outside again. He immediately felt bad about it but he didn't want her to see him in so much pain. Martha tutted as she checked the refill on his toes. It was virtually non existent.

"We need to remove this cast. Your leg is swelling and it has all but cut off the blood supply to your toes. I really don't want to wait another four hours to remove the cast, so I am going to see about getting a helicopter out here to pick you up." Martha informed him.

"Have Jack bring the TARDIS," He groaned. He had taught Jack how to drive her for simple jumps. He was sure that Jack would be able to drive her for a same time jump from Cardiff to wherever in the hell they were.

"I don't think that is a good idea. The point of coming out here was to give you time away from him." Martha replied as she pulled out her phone. Where they were should have had no service but thanks to the Doctor's universal roaming she was still able to get a signal. She started to dial the number to UNIT.

"I want the TARDIS not some ape hospital." The Doctor snipped.

"All right, calm down. I will talk to Tom about having Jack bring the TARDIS out. Then he and Ianto or Tom can take the SUV back to Cardiff." She quickly dialed Tom instead, stepping out of the room to explain the situation. The Doctor sat there trying not to be sick as he waited to hear the sound of the TARDIS arriving. He was thick for not bringing her in the first place. How could he ever agree to leave her behind?

"There is no guarantee that they are coming. Ianto answered and he is going to talk to Jack. He will call us back if they are going to send a helicopter instead." Martha informed the Doctor as she entered the room again. The Doctor just sighed, Jack would come, he knew Jack would come. It didn't matter that he didn't want to see him, he needed the TARDIS and Jack would make sure that he had her. Sure enough, not even ten minutes later, he heard the sound of the TARDIS arriving.

"Papa," The girls screamed happily in unison, over their father coming to the cabin.

"My babies," He heard Jack reply a moment later. Outside the window he could see Jack standing and holding them as the girls hung off of him. All three of them had wide grins on their faces and Jack was kissing them over and over on their heads.

"Daddy said you were sick." Emily informed him.

"I am sick, but I am getting better." Jack told her.

"Daddy is angry. He yelled at me." Sophie pouted.

"Did you do anything to upset him?" Jack asked slightly concerned.

"No, I just went inside to see him." Sophie informed Jack as she refused to let him go.

"Your daddy is just sore at the moment. I don't think he meant to yell at you." The Doctor heard Jack say as he struggled up onto the crutches. He made his way to the door and he stood there staring at Jack for a moment.

"Watch the girls while I get my leg checked." He told Jack finally as he started towards the TARDIS. He didn't acknowledge Ianto leaning against the SUV as he made his way into the familiar control room and back towards the medi-bay.

-DW-

It was late in the night before the Doctor entered the cabin again. His leg was in a longer cast again that didn't allow him to move like he had before. The break in his leg was worse then when he woke up thanks to the fall and he was going to take longer to heal. A healing coma wasn't possible at this point and Martha swore she would turn him over to a real hospital if he tried to achieve one in the next couple of days. He wasn't sure if she was bluffing or not so it was better not to risk it.

He was sore and tired. The drugs she had given him were making him cranky and he just wanted a good cup of tea, then to go to bed. Martha had tried to get him to stay the night in the TARDIS but he needed to know that his children were safe. Upon entering the dimly lit cabin, he was faced with Jack sitting at the table playing a game of cards with Ianto.

"The girls are in bed in the last room and I turned down the bed in the middle room for you." Jack explained skipping the comment on his leg. "I can go now if you want."

"At the moment Jack, I am too tired to care that you are here. I just want a cup of tea and then to go to bed." He stated as he sat down in the arm chair and then raised his leg up on to the coffee table. Ianto came over a minute later with the cup of tea and he took it, taking a long drink of it.

"I know you don't want me here..." Jack tried again.

"Frankly Captain. It is going to take a lot more then taking care of your daughters for an afternoon and turning down my bed to get back on my good side. It is something I should be doing but you took that out of my hands when you decided to break my leg." The Doctor began.

"I.."

"I am talking now." The Doctor snapped as Jack tried to interrupt, the oncoming storm blazed in his eyes. For a moment he didn't care Ianto was sitting at the table or that Martha had entered the cabin behind them. As far as he was concerned it was just him and Jack in the room. "I trusted you more then I have ever trusted anyone and you betrayed me. I asked you several times if you were taking drugs and you told me no. I could have ended this before it reached the point of you breaking my leg and forcing yourself on me but you wouldn't let me. It was you who chose to take the drugs and it was you who decided to stay on them. If I ever think for a moment that you are taking drugs again, I am forcing you on to my TARDIS for a blood test. If you refuse or if that test comes back positive, I am taking the girls and you will never see any of us ever again. Do I make myself clear Captain Jack Harkness?"

"Yes, Doctor." Jack replied his voice stronger then he actually felt.

"Good. If you ever wanted to be invited into our home again and back into my bed, you better turn your act around and turn it around fast. I love you but don't think for a moment that means I am just going to forgive you." He struggled up on to his crutches. Martha stepped forward to help him and he allowed her to. Jack moved out of the way so the Doctor could make his way down to his bedroom. "If you are still here in the morning, I expect breakfast and a good cup of tea."

"I will make breakfast." Jack reassured him.

"And not just fruit. I want an actually breakfast." The Doctor snipped. He was almost to his bedroom when the door to the girl's room opened and Emily poked her head out. Her face was streaked with tears. He sighed as he realized he had woke her and scared her with his yelling.

"Is Sophie awake too?" He asked, his voice gentle. She nodded. "Come on Sophie, you and Emily can sleep in my bed tonight." He called out. The other little girl came running out of the room and the three of them disappeared into the Doctor's room. The door closed and Jack heard the sound of the sonic locking the door.

"I'm sorry if we scared Samuel." Jack apologized to Martha as he realized that she was there.

"Samuel probably slept through it." Martha checked in her room to see her son sound asleep still. "Yep he is still asleep. Living in the flat we hear a lot of fighting so it takes more then yelling to wake him up now. It is a good and a bad thing." She stood in the door way. "If you do stay the night, there is extra linen in the closet for the couch if you need to sleep. One or both of you could probably also sleep in the third room since the girls are sleeping in the Doctor's room tonight."

"I don't need to sleep, but thank you for the offer." Jack responded.

"Oh and Jack." Martha said right before she closed the door.

"Yes Martha?"

"I want eggs, so you may have to run to the store." She smiled at him before closing the door to her room. Jack turned to Ianto.

"Whose hand was it sir?" Ianto asked him as he shuffled the deck.

"I think it was yours." Jack sat down at the table as Ianto began to deal the cards. His mind really wasn't on the game though as he tried to figure out how he could make things right with the Doctor.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor was awoken the next morning by the smell of breakfast cooking. He almost didn't want to get out of bed. Emily was sound asleep on his chest and Sophie was nestled as close as she could get to his right side. It had taken him awhile to get them to sleep again after they had been awoken by his yelling. His leg was throbbing though and he needed pain killers. Grabbing his sonic off the table where he left it, he unlocked the door. A few minutes later there was a soft knock followed by the door opening a crack. His hearts sped up for a moment as he worried it was Jack.

"Morning, I have pain killers and tea." Martha commented opening the door wider. He smiled as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Just what I needed." He stated as she came in. Carefully he moved Emily off his chest and she groaned at him. He pushed himself to sit up further and took the tea and pills from Martha. He swallowed them gratefully.

"Give them a few minutes to kick in while you wait for breakfast. Jack is making a full English breakfast so I hope you are hungry." Martha informed him.

"Starving," He muttered.

"Are you sure you are all right with having him here?" Martha asked. The Doctor didn't answer her right away as he reached down and brushed Sophie's hair out of her face.

"No," He replied finally. "I am not all right with him here, but I am not going to tell him to leave again either."

"Would you like me too?" Martha asked and the Doctor shook his head no. He didn't quite understand it but it was just like before when he was laying in the bed in the medi-bay and just wanted Jack. As much as it hurt to be around Jack he felt safer with Martha and Ianto there to help him. He ran his hand through the back of his hair and then rubbed his neck. Martha left without another word and so he turned his attention to his girls.

"Wake up sleepy head." He cooed at Emily as he stroked her hair. She groaned again and tried to bury her head. Chuckling he pulled the blankets down. "Papa is making breakfast so you need to get up."

"I don't want to go to school," she grumbled into the pillow.

"There is no school today, we are at the cabin, but you still need to get up." He informed her as he gently stroked her hair still. He reached out and gently stroked Sophie's hair as well.

"Good morning Sophie." He smiled as as she opened her eyes.

"Can we go swimming?" Sophie asked as she stretched beside him. Sophie tended to wake easier and more coherently then Emily in the mornings, it was why he usually started with waking Emily.

"I can't go swimming with a broken leg, but maybe Auntie can take you swimming." He suggested. "Now go get ready for breakfast." Sophie scrambled out of the bed while Emily pulled the blankets back up over her head. He pulled them down and tickled her nose slightly.

"Wake up." He told her a little more stern. She opened her eyes and then glared at him.

"I'm sleepy Daddy," She complained.

"I know, but it is time to get up. Now go get ready for breakfast." He pointed at the door and she sighed as she made her way out of it. Grabbing his crutches he made made his way down the hall. Jack was just finishing plating the eggs for the breakfast as he made his way to the table. He paused. "Jack can I talk to you alone for a minute." He said instead and turned towards the front door. He saw out of the corner of his eye Jack hesitate but then follow him out the front door. He made his way slowly over to the SUV and leaned against it for support.

"Why the drugs?" He asked finally as he looked Jack in the eyes.

"I swear to you I didn't know it was 9d at first." Jack said and the Doctor nodded, not believing him but allowing him to go on. "I took just one and it was an early human prototype of the drug. It just escalated from there."

"That doesn't explain why you took the drugs in the first place," The Doctor snipped and then took a deep breath. "Why did you start taking drugs?"

"Honestly Doctor I felt trapped and the alcohol wasn't working anymore. I love you and our girls but I miss the days where it was just the two of us traveling among the stars. We only had to stop so that I could check in with Torchwood periodically, other then that we were free to come and go as we pleased. Now it is school, swimming lessons and piano lessons. When we do travel it is to places safe for the girls and there is no running anymore." Jack admitted. "You and I barely have time for each other and when we do go out, it is to somewhere I will enjoy, while you sit there and wait to go home."

"So you regret taking Emily and Sophie in?" The Doctor asked. He agreed that being domestic was hard sometimes when all he wanted to do was run. It was especially hard when they were both infants and sick and he had to take care of them alone while Jack was working late. His daughters meant everything to him though and he wouldn't trade them for anything.

"No, I love the girls with all my heart. I just miss the freedom." Jack responded with a sigh. "I miss us."

"You ruined us though, by taking the drugs Jack."

"Can't we at least try to work on this. You said last night if I wanted to come home and back into your bed I had to change and I am willing to change. Are you still willing to give me that chance?" Jack found himself asking. The Doctor looked out at the trees past Jack. For a moment he caught movement in the trees and determined it was an animal and not any kind of threat. He remembered saying the words but did he really mean them. "I will even submit to your drug test. Not that I am going to need them because I have learned my lesson Doc."

"Prove it." The Doctor replied as he leaned away from the SUV and started back towards the cabin. His stomach felt as though it was gnawing angrily at him. He wasn't sure if he was hungry still or if he was going to be sick. He made his way over to the table, where an odd assortment of extra chairs had been found and placed around it. Everyone was sitting waiting for the two of them so they could start breakfast. He took the open seat at the top of the table next to the girls. Martha was sitting next to Sophie on the right with Samuel on her lap and Ianto was sitting across from Martha. Jack came in a moment later and took the seat directly facing him. The food smelled wonderful but he decided he was going to be sick. He stood again, hurrying down the hallway and barely made it to the loo. His stomach flipped and he lost the tea from earlier and the remainder of the pills. He groaned as he sat back against the wall. What was he doing letting Jack into their lives again so soon?

-DW-

The Doctor continued to sit on the floor of the loo, long after he finished getting sick. He didn't want to go out there and face everyone, nor did he want to stumble to his room and see their faces. How the hell could Jack not know it was 9d, even in early forms it was recognizable as the same drug. He didn't believe for a moment tat Jack hadn't known what he was taking. On the other hand he did agree that they didn't spend enough time alone together. Not that he really wanted to spend time alone with Jack at the moment. If they worked things out though, they were going to have to find time alone together. The thought made him shudder and his stomach flipped again.

"Doctor, are you all right?" Martha knocked lightly on the door. Her voice was a doctor concerned for her patient, not a curious friend. For a moment he considered not answering.

"I'm fine." He mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"You don't sound fine. Do you need an anti-emetic?" Martha asked in concern.

"No." He sighed and pulled himself to his feet. He leaned the crutches against and balanced on the counter as he washed his face and hands. Feeling a little more refreshed he made his way back to the table. The rest of them were still enjoying breakfast as he sat down again. He picked up his tea taking a small sip, trying not to be sick again.

"Papa can we go swimming?" Sophie asked Jack.

"What did your dad say?" Jack wondered automatically.

"To ask Auntie, but I want you to take us swimming Papa." Sophie pouted.

"We can all go swimming." The Doctor spoke up as his hearts leapt in fear of Jack taking the girls.

"You can't go swimming with your leg in a cast." Martha reminded the Doctor. "How about you and Ianto stay at the cabin and Jack and I take the girls down to the ocean." Martha asked him.

"No," He replied stubbornly. He was not letting Jack take the girls without him and that was final. "I can sit on the sand away from the water and watch them play."

"Yea, we're going swimming!" Sophie exclaimed as she tried to get out of it.

"Sit down and eat." The Doctor snipped at her softly. She made a face and picked up her fork again. She knew better then to tell them that she wasn't hungry, when she really was. Both of the twins still tried it every once in a while, but the Doctor made sure they had no snacks until the next meal when they did. Jack sometimes gave in but the Doctor never did.

They finished eating and Jack got extra towels from the TARDIS, while Martha packed a picnic, then helped the children dress for the beach. The Doctor felt useless as he remained at the table. He couldn't do anything with the broken leg and though he had offered to do the dishes Martha declined. He tried not to sulk as he waited for everyone to finish getting ready but he couldn't help it. When the back of the SUV was packed, everyone piled in. The Doctor sat in the passanger side again while Jack an Ianto climbed into the back with the children. Seating was a little tighter then before but they managed to get everyone safely buckled in for the trip down to the water.

"Papa are you going to stay at the cabin with us?" Emily asked him.

"No. I am going to stay today but then I have to go back to work." Jack answered her. The Doctor couldn't help the sigh of relief and Jack glared at him for a moment.

"I don't want you to go." Sophie pouted.

"I don't want to go either, but I have to go to work." Jack explained. In reality he didn't know if he was even allowed to work again yet. That was something that he was going to have to discuss with Tom and Mike once he was back in Cardiff. He wanted to work though and telling the girls he was going to work was easier then admitting the Doctor didn't want him there.

"Please stay papa." Emily begged him, latching on to his arm.

"Now, none of that. We are going to the beach and we are going to have fun. Then tomorrow I am going back to work, but I will see you two again soon. I promise." Jack informed her. He carefully pulled his arm away and then wrapped her in a hug.

"How about we play a game?" Martha chimed up. "I spy.." The Doctor tuned them out for the most part. As nice as it was to hear his girls giggling and shouting random things, he didn't really care for the game. Sure he chimed in when they asked him to, but for the most part he kept his eyes on the road, watching the trees pass by. The drive to the water was short though and soon enough they piled out of the SUV and onto the sandy beach.

Martha laid out a towel up from the water, for the Doctor to sit on. The waves were lapping roughly at the beach and neither one of them wanted him to get his cast wet. He helped the girls to get sunscreen on and then sent them to run and play on the beach. Martha chased Samuel around, though Samuel was more interested in the rocks that lined the beach then the water. Jack laid out a towel out of speaking range from the Doctor and sat down on it next to Ianto. Both of them though saw the wave approaching the beach at the same time.

"Emily, Sophie, come up here." The Doctor called out as Jack got to his feet. Emily started to come back but Sophie was further along and didn't hear them as well. Jack whistled and she turned to look at them. He waved his hand motioning for her to come back up. Rather then head up into the dry sand, she started walking along the edge of the water to get closer.

"Sophie, come on up here quickly sweetheart," Jack called out rushing down to get her. She stopped and looked at him confused. He was almost to her when the wave crashed against the shore, knocking her off her feet. As the wave retreated the under tide pulled her out with it.

"Daddy," She cried out as she surfaced a moment later further out. Jack was all ready to the water and he dived in after, swimming as fast and hard as he could to where she was.

He didn't even think about it as he grabbed his crutches and rushed towards the water. He could see her trying helplessly to swim back towards Jack. A wave washed over her and then she was gone.

The Doctor stood near the water, watching for any sign of Jack saving his beautiful daughter. He didn't believe in Karma, miracles or anything like that but at this moment he would just to see Jack surface again with Sophie. How many more people did the universe have to take from him until it was satisfied it had taken enough. He had all ready lost more then one should have to bare and yet he still held on. Even as he walked away from the last time war more alone then he had ever been before. That day he not only lost his people, but his family and friends. His parents perished before he could make his father proud of him once more. He lost them along with his older bother who he could never live up to being like and his younger brother, who had never known was actually his son. His three sons died or were lost along with his numerous grandchildren, including his beloved Susan.

Through out his travels he had also lost numerous companions to not only death, but moving on without him. He had been left alone so many times and now the universe was not only taking his husband from him but another of his children. He had enough. Jack was going to save Sophie and prove that he could be trusted to be there when the Doctor needed him most. Failing that the Doctor was going to get into his TARDIS and save her himself. He didn't care about time lines or crossing them at the moment, he wasn't going to let another of his children die.

"Emily get back away from the water." He snapped as he realized that she was going into it. Ianto was in the process of diving in the water was well and Martha was rushing to his side with Samuel in her arms.

"But Sophie is in there." She cried out.

"I know, but Papa is saving her." He promised. *I hope.* He thought as he watched on. Jack was still recovering from the drugs he had taken, even if he was doing better over all. There was still a small chance that Jack could have a panic attack while under the water and if that happened, he wasn't going to be able to save Sophie. The chance was small because water wasn't something Jack feared. He did fear however being trapped under anything with no way out. The murky water could trigger that fear if he wasn't careful.

"Emily," He called again as she crept closer to the water. He watched as she hesitated for just a moment, as she considered ignoring him. Finally, Emily came rushing to his side, tears streaming down her little face. She grabbed on to his good leg and held it tightly. He hated his broken leg more then ever as he couldn't even comfort her properly. He was going to achieve a healing coma again soon and that was final. He just needed to make sure that he ate a lot the next few days so he didn't wear out his resources quickly.

Time seemed to drag as he waited for any sign of Jack. Just when he thought that it was too late, he saw movement further out and Jack broke the surface with Sophie. He was holding her in one arm as he started to make his way back to the shore. Her eyes were closed and the Doctor tried desperately to tell if she was breathing. In his panic his time sense was off and he couldn't tell how long she had been under the water. As they neared though, he could see that she was clinging to Jack even though her eyes were closed.

"Sophie," Emily called out. The Doctor collapsed back on to the sand, pulling Emily to him as Jack came up out of the water.

"Bring her here," he informed Jack holding out his arms.

"Daddy," Sophie whimpered as Jack handed her down to the Doctor. The Doctor clung to her tightly as he kissed her all over her head.

"Don't ever scare daddy like that again." He chastised her softly as he continued to kiss her. She clung to him just as tightly and he didn't even care when Jack sat down next to them, pulling Emily on his lap. Martha gave Jack a towel and then laid one across Sophie.

"You're cast is getting soaked Doctor," She informed him, knowing he didn't care but that they were going to have to change it later.

"Thank you for saving her Jack." He leaned his chin against the shivering little girl's head as he continued to hold her.

"Did you expect me not to?" Jack wondered as he wrapped the towel Martha gave him around himself and Emily.

"For a moment I wondered." The Doctor admitted. He looked at Jack out of the corner of his eye and saw Jack just watching him. He knew the words hurt Jack but he didn't regret them. Saving Sophie had helped his trust but only time was going to cure what happened and bring the two of them back together.

"Do you want to go back to the cabin?" Martha asked him softly as she leaned down next to them. Even though Sophie seemed all right, she still wanted to get her back to the TARDIS and check her over to be sure. She also needed to changed the Doctor's cast again. She even considered making Jack submit to a check up but she knew he would find it pointless. Any damage caused to him would be healed by the time they made it back to the cabin anyways.

"It is probably the best idea." Jack agreed. He stood and tried to take Sophie from the Doctor so that the Doctor could stand. Sophie clung to him though.

"Daddy," She whimpered.

"We can wait a little while," He informed Jack. Jack shook his head and whispered something to Ianto. Jack then leaned down again.

"Come to papa," He cooed and she reached out to him. Jack picked her up and cuddled her close. The Doctor though, didn't know whether to find it funny or be upset, when Ianto picked him up and started towards the SUV. Ianto placed him in the backseat next to Sophie. She was wrapped tightly still in the towel and shivering. Her lips were also tinged slightly blue and she seemed slightly dazed.

"Sophie," He said and her response was sluggish as she turned to look at him. "Martha did you bring your medical supplies?"

"Of course." Martha commented. She grabbed her medical bag and a small oxygen tank she had brought with her before they had the TARDIS from the boot and then climbed into the back in front of Sophie.

"Daddy?" Emily asked frightened.

"It's going to be all right sweetheart." He tried to reassure her and himself at the same time. "Jack get us back to the TARDIS." Jack didn't hesitate as he jumped into the driver's seat. Ianto quickly made sure the other children were buckled in before climbing in the passenger seat. Jack gunned the engine and then sped off as quickly as he dared back to the cabin.

Martha placed the oxygen mask over Sophie's mouth and nose and turned it on. She then pulled out her stethoscope. Moving the towel down a little, she placed it to Sophie's chest. Her heart was beating steadily but it sounded as though she had fluid in her lungs. Martha wasn't sure why she wasn't coughing to get the fluid out.

"Jack did she start breathing again as soon as you broke the surface?" Martha asked.

"It took a moment but I didn't have to perform CPR." Jack responded as he swerved around a slower vehicle. He made a rude sign at them as he went back into their lane.

"Oi," The Doctor called out at Jack as they were all jerked roughly around in the SUV. Martha wasn't buckled in at all and barely caught herself before she hit the floor.

"Sorry," Jack apologized as he started to go around another car, making sure not to jolt the SUV again. Martha wrapped Sophie back up in the towel, trying to help warm her as the Doctor stroked her wet brown hair. "We're almost there though. Five more minutes and we will be at the TARDIS."

"When we get there, Ianto can you take Emily and Samuel into the cabin and keep them busy for a while." The Doctor asked.

"I want to stay with Sophie." Emily cried out. She was watching them with wide terrified eyes and the Doctor wished she didn't have to witness them treating Sophie. Being that he couldn't change it though, he could at least stop her from being present as they cared for her in the TARDIS.

"Emily sweetheart Sophie isn't feeling good and Daddy, papa and Aunt Martha are going to take care of her, but I need you to be a good girl and stay with Uncle Ianto for a little while. Later you can come into the TARDIS and see her but not now." The Doctor told her softly as he hugged her. "Can you be brave for me while I take care of your sister?"

"Yes daddy." She whimpered and he kissed her on the head. The SUV stopped in front of the cabin and Jack jumped out rushing around. The Doctor watched as Martha climbed out and then picked up Sophie, hurrying towards the TARDIS. His hearts leapt in fear though as Jack grabbed him and started to carry him towards the TARDIS as well.

"Put me d-d-down." He stuttered slightly in fear.

"Your cast is wet and you can't put any weight on it. I know you have no reason to trust me carrying you, but if you want to be by Sophie's side this is the quickest way." Jack commented and he took a deep breath and counted to ten as Jack rushed through the doors into the console room. They made it to the medi-bay and Jack set him on the bed next to Sophies.

"Jack I need you to grab me a clean nightgown, a couple of blankets, and a heating pad." Martha ordered as she began to get Sophie out of her cold wet clothes. The little girl's temperature had dropped and Martha was concerned about getting her warmed up. Jack ran out of the room and returned with the requested items a short time later.

Martha worked on the little girl and after a few hours she was finally sleeping peacefully and back on her way to a full recovery. The blue tint was gone from her lips but Martha decided to keep the oxygen mask on until she woke up again. She was tucked under several blankets and Jack had retrieved her teddy bear from the cabin, tucking it in beside her. With Sophie stabilized their attention was turned to the Doctor. Once again his cast was taken off and replaced but thankfully this time their was no manipulating of the bones. Thanks to Jack and Ianto carrying him, his leg had remained in line even with the cast getting wet.

Emily was allowed to come into the TARDIS for a short time to make sure that both her sister and her daddy were all right before she returned to the cabin. Ianto agreed to watch Samuel and Emily over night so that the others could remain in the TARDIS with Sophie. Martha was sitting on the right side of Sophie's bed and the Doctor's bed was positioned close enough to her bed on the left that there was no room for a chair. He surprisingly wasn't upset or afraid of the fact that Jack was sitting on the end of his bed rather then next to Martha. Being afraid for their daughter had brought them closer together for the time being. When she was better though, they were going to have to sit down and have another long talk about their future.


	10. Chapter 10

Martha stayed by Sophie's side most of the night with the Doctor and Jack. She ended up having to go back to the cabin though because Samuel was crying and refused to settle down for Ianto. Ianto apologized over and over on the phone but it was clear he was at his wits end with her son. Jack and the Doctor reassured her that they were more then capable of taking care of Sophie and would call her if they needed help. It was late in the morning though before Sophie began to stir. She coughed deep hacking coughs as tears streamed down her face. Jack removed the oxygen mask from her face and propped her up on some pillows as the Doctor moved from his bed onto hers. Being careful of the IV, that Martha had placed in the little girl's arm during the night before she left, he eased her up into his arms. She clung to him as she continued to cough.

"It's all right Sophie." The Doctor cooed reassuringly as he held her. It took awhile for her to calm down but as she did, he cuddled her to him resting his cheek on her head. Her hair still smelled like the ocean and he made a face as he realized they had yet to wash it. "You need a warm bath little one."

"No bath," She whimpered and clung to him tighter.

"I know a bath must seem like a scary thing after what happened yesterday," He asked and she nodded. "Daddy isn't going to let anything happen to you though. We will get you all cleaned up and into some fluffy jimjams. Then you can lay with Emily and have some soup." He reassured her. Wanting to get the bath out of the way, so she didn't continue to worry about it, he motioned for Jack to help him. He then carefully disconnected the IV from her arm. Together they got the Doctor's jacket out of her tight grip and then Jack carried her through to the bathroom in the TARDIS.

"I don't want a bath daddy." She cried as they approached the tub. She tried to scramble out of Jack's arms but he held her tightly to him as he made gentle shushing sounds. She cried louder and continued to fight against him. The Doctor ran only a small amount of water making sure that it was warm enough for her.

"I promise it will be all right sweetheart." The Doctor said. She cried and clung to the Doctor the entire time she was in the tub, begging him to let her out. He hoped that in time her new found phobia could be overcome, otherwise everything was going to become harder then it all ready was. After the bath, he tucked her back into bed and they brought Emily into the TARDIS to lay with her. The two girls cuddled up to each other, happy to be back together after the long night apart. Jack sat a bowl of soup down in front of each of them and Sophie ignored it while Emily began to eat happily.

"Jack we need to talk." The Doctor commented and Jack nodded. The two of them went outside of the medi-bay doors. They could still clearly see the girls but by keeping their voices low, the children would be unable to hear them.

"I'm not leaving until Sophie is better," Jack said firmly before the Doctor even had a chance to open his mouth. "We almost lost our little girl yesterday and I can't go back to Torchwood until she is back on her feet."

"I don't expect you to leave." The Doctor replied. "I want to achieve a healing coma in about three days time. I don't want you here while I do, but given the current circumstances, it seems there is no other choice. That being said, I want you to stay in the cabin with Martha and the girls while I go into the healing coma here in the TARDIS."

"Your healing comas don't always go right Doctor." Jack reminded him. He had been present before when the Doctor's energy had been low enough to cause him to seizure. While the Doctor had acted like it was not a problem with Martha, Jack knew better. While he hadn't been informed that the last one had gone wrong, Jack wasn't dumb. He could see on the CCTV that the Doctor's leg was better but not fully healed. That could only mean that the healing coma was interrupted.

"I am going to lock the door and then hook myself up to the scanners. If anything goes wrong the TARDIS can alert Martha and allow her entry." The Doctor waved Jack off. "After the healing coma, if Sophie is better, I would like you to return to Torchwood for awhile. You can come back to visit the girls but I think you and I still need the time apart."

"I really am sorry for hurting you Doctor." Jack tried to look him in the eyes and he averted his own.

"I know Jack, the problem is this has been going on awhile now, and up until now I let it. Let us try living our lives separate for now." The Doctor smiled sadly at Jack.

"I will let you live for a few months time without me bothering you. I will just be there for our girls. I will ask you out again at the end of those few months and I just hope you say yes." Jack promised him. He wanted to hug the Doctor but instead he turned and headed back into the medi-bay and back to Sophie. Emily had stopped eating as she had curled up with Sophie again. The two of them were laying their quieter then Jack had seen them before and it worried him greatly.

"Sophie sweetheart." He asked kneeling down next to the bed.

"I don't feel good papa." she cried and he stroked her hair back gently. Her head felt slightly warm still and Jack hoped she wasn't developing a fever or anything serious.

"I know little one. Daddy and I are going to make you all better though." He kissed her softly on the head. The Doctor moved to sit beside Jack as Martha came into check on Sophie. Emily climbed out of the bed and was reluctantly went back to Ianto who was in the console room, as Martha examined Sophie. Jack was right that she had developed a fever and Martha hooked up an antibiotic to her IV to try to stop any infection that was developing. The Doctor's face fell and Jack placed a reassuring hand on his arm. He felt the Doctor take it and squeeze it for a moment before letting go. It wasn't much but it was a beginning for the both of them as they feared silently for their daughter.

The fever grew worse quickly over the next few hours, due to the little girls unique system. It was easy to forget by just looking at her that she was only half human. On the inside though, her organs were slightly different then a humans. Normally it was an advantage for them as they had stronger bones and ligaments. Right now though, it was causing her system to fight itself as it tried to deal with the foreign matter in her lungs. She was coughing and wheezing regularly now as she tried to expel the remains of the water from her lungs. Martha had given her more medication to try to help but it wasn't working as well as they expected.

During the last few hours Martha x-ray'd Sophie's chest as well as ran a CT scan. She drew blood and took it along with the X-rays into the small lab off of the medi-bay to study.

"Do you see what you have caused Captain?" The Doctor asked as he sat on the bed next to her and gently stroked Sophie's hair back. The little girl was whimpering softly while coughing but other wise unresponsive to his touch. Though she was propped up slightly on the pillows to assist her breathing, her eyes were closed and the Doctor would have given anything for her to open them. Jack looked at him with slight confusion. "If my leg hadn't been broken, I would never have agreed to come to the cabin during the school year. The consequences of your actions now have not only hurt me but your child."

"I never meant to hurt anyone." Jack whispered looking down.

"Doctor this is neither the time nor the place for this conversation." Martha tutted as she returned to the medi-bay and hung a new IV bag from the stand. She listened to Sophie's chest again and checked her vitals while the Doctor waited impatiently for the results from the test Martha had run. The fact that she wasn't telling them anything worried him even more.

"How is she?" He asked when Martha finally took the stethoscope out of her ears and stepped back from the bed.

"She still has fluid in her lungs but she is getting rid of it due to the coughing. She has developed a slight case of pneumonia which while rare in children due to almost drowning, I believe was caused due to her unique system." Martha offered and the Doctor nodded his agreement. They had seen it before in both children. "I have put her on two different types of antibiotics to treat it. Only time will tell how she responds to them but we have caught it early enough that she has a good chance of recovering fully."

"Emily was in here for a little while, should we bring her back to test her?" Jack asked as he worried even more.

"I will inform Ianto to keep an eye on her and Samuel. If either present any type of cough or fever he can bring them in but it is unlikely she passed it on. I am still testing but I am almost positive she has bacterial pneumonia and not viral. Viral is more likely to be contagious. Until she is recovered though it would be better to keep her separated from the other two children." Martha explained.

"Jack can you go back to the cabin and help Ianto with Emily?" The Doctor asked his voice barely loud enough to be heard.

"What?" Jack asked. He had heard the Doctor but he was surprised the Doctor was asking him to leave again.

"I want to talk to Martha alone for a little while," The Doctor tried again, deciding to be blunt with him. "Now can you please go back to the cabin." Jack hesitated before walking over to the bed and kissing Sophie softly.

"Papa will be back sweetheart, I promise." He whispered as he kissed her again before leaving the medi-bay. Martha jumped as she heard the thump of Jack's fist slamming into the wall right outside of the door followed by a muffled swear but the Doctor seem unphased by it. He counted to ten slowly and then turned to look at Martha. "I would like you to draw my blood and then tell me what nutrients I need more of to achieve a successful healing coma."

"You can't possibly still be thinking about going into one." Martha asked him exasperated.

"If I have the proper balance, I can achieve it in and heal myself within a few hours. I just need to heal my leg to the point I can walk and care for my daughter without assistance." He explained calmly.

"As your doctor, I advise against the healing coma. The last time you achieved a healing coma you seized and were in an actual coma for almost three days. I think it would be for the best if you let your leg heal on its own. You are only going to be in the cast for a few more weeks. You can care for Sophie during that time, the only thing you need assistance with is carrying her from one place to another. At the time though, she isn't going to be leaving this bed again for the next few days." Martha tried to reason with him. The Doctor ignored her as he rolled up his shirt sleeve and presented his arm to her.

"The TARDIS will be able to compare the blood sample to ones taken in the past and provide the information needed. I have vitamin supplements as well as injections that can be taken. I am also going to get Ianto to bring in an assortment of carbohydrates and bananas. If I eat and take the supplements I should be able to achieve the coma tonight and wake with her in the morning." The Doctor continued to hold his arm out and Martha sighed. She went to the cupboard and pulled out a clean syringe. She found the vein in his arm and wasn't gentle as she inserted the needle and drew blood. He glared at her but he didn't comment as she pulled the needle out and pressed a piece of gauze against his arm.

"Are you sure I can't talk you out of this?" Martha asked as she capped the needle.

"Nope," he replied as he settled back again and resumed his stroking of Sophie's hair.

-DW-

Jack spent two hours taking care of Emily. The girls had spent time apart before as both Jack and the Doctor thought it was important for them but never with the other one being sick. Normally one when of the twins got sick, it was only a matter of time before the other caught it. While Emily understood that she couldn't see Sophie because her sister was sick, that didn't stop her from trying to convince Jack that he should let her.

"Please Papa, Sophie needs me so she can feel better." She begged after every other attempt to be taken to the TARDIS had failed.

"Sweetheart, I know you want to see your sister, but you can't." Jack sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache.

"I don't like the cabin Papa, I want to go home." Emily informed him.

"I know the cabin hasn't been much fun with first daddy being hurt and then Sophie getting sick, but you will have lots of fun once they are better." Jack pulled her on to his lap and cuddled her close to him.

"Are you going to be staying at the cabin with us?" She asked hopefully as she looked up at him.

"No. I have to go back to work soon, but I promise I will be coming to see you and Sophie every weekend until you go home." He told her, hoping the Doctor didn't make him break that promise.

"Can I go home with you?" Emily asked him again.

"Papa has to work little one and you don't want to come to work with me. It is a lot of paper work and very boring," He lied. The girls knew he worked for Torchwood but how dangerous his job really was had been kept from them. He didn't want to worry or scare them every time he had to go to work. Thankfully his phone took that moment to go off and he looked down to see a message from the Doctor.

*Bring chicken, sweet potatoes and bananas when you return.* was all the message said but Jack felt his headache getting worse. It was the type of food the Doctor normally ate when he needed a lot of energy. He wasn't going to question it, he just hoped the Doctor was being smart about going into a healing coma so soon after the last failed attempt. He made the requested items including banana pudding. He head Emily help him with the pudding to distract her for a minute. He cut up bananas and put them in, chastising her softly when she picked them out, licking her fingers as she ate them. When he was finished he put all the items on a tray and took it out to the TARDIS.

He entered the medi-bay to find the Doctor sitting on the bed next to Sophies. He had his shirt sleeve rolled up and Martha had a syringe in her hand preparing to give him an injection. Two more needles were on the tray near by.

"What are all the injections for?" He asked as he set down the tray near the Doctor's bed.

"They are just vitamin shots that he needs if he is going to maintain the healing coma that I advised him not to go into." Martha informed Jack as she gave the Doctor the first injection.

"So what is your plan?" Jack asked and the Doctor smiled at him for a moment.

"I am going to be eating and resting to make sure I have the energy to maintain the healing coma. Before I enter it though, Martha is going to test my blood again and set up a high energy drip. If the healing coma works the way I plan, my leg bone should heal with in an hour or so and I will sleep for a few hours after. I am not going to concentrate on healing the incision wound or bruising tonight, just the bone." The Doctor explained.

"Do you want me to stay away?" Jack asked as he moved over to check on Sophie.

"I was going to ask you to stay off the TARDIS while I am in the coma but with Sophie still unresponsive I want you to stay nearby." The Doctor informed him.

"How is she doing?" Jack asked as he stroked her sweaty head and leaned down to give her a kiss.

"There has been no change in the last few hours." Martha spoke up. "The Doctor and I have done all we can for her at the moment and now we just have to wait and hope that the medicine works."

"And if it doesn't?" Jack asked his legs feeling weak. He sat down on the edge of her bed making sure not to land on her as he went down.

"Then I will change it," The Doctor stated his eyes dark as he looked at Jack. The look quickly disappeared in to the eyes of his husband and a concerned father, but for a moment he had looked straight into the soul of something worse then the oncoming storm. Jack shuddered. "There are other options and if the medicine doesn't work, we can take her to a hospital that deals with other species."

"What about your healing coma, it is dangerous to wake you from it?" Jack wondered.

"It is, but if she takes a turn for the worse, I want to be woken up." The Doctor said and Jack nodded. "She is stable though and we are going to check her vitals before I go into my coma."

"I will stay with Emily then." Jack turned to leave the TARDIS, he paused at the medi-bay doors though. "Please let me know before you go into the healing coma?" He said and the Doctor saluted him before turning to gripe at Martha that he didn't need another injection.

-DW-

The Doctors healing coma lasted almost four hours but he remained stable throughout it thanks to Martha's constant monitoring. His energy dipped down to 55% but went no lower as his finished repairing the bone in his leg. After Martha x-ray'd his leg and found that the bone had healed. Carefully removing the cast she found that he had also healed the associated bruising. The incision wound was also almost gone and would heal on its own with in a few days. Because his leg had been barely used for the last week, she place a brace on it. She knew she was going to have to fight him to keep it on, but until he got his strength up, it was the best thing for him.

Jack was in and out of the medi-bay most of the night but there was no change to Sophie. She remained just as sick and the medication provided a little relief but not enough that Martha was happy with the results. Jack came in early in the morning to find the Doctor was awake. He was up and out of bed standing beside Sophie's bed. He had her hand in his and he was holding it while he talked to her. Getting closet to the bed, Jack saw that Sophie's eyes were opened and she looked confused.

"Daddy is going to take you somewhere where they will make you feel all better." He promised Sophie. He stood straighter suddenly and turned to look behind him. Slight fear filled his eyes at seeing Jack. "Ah Jack, Will you please go get the others. We are going to be leaving soon."

"Where to?" Jack wondered.

"To a hospital in the far future that can cure her." He replied, stepping quickly around Jack, making sure not to touch him. He hurried out into the console room and set the coordinates. He pictured himself for just one moment dropping Jack into a supernova and then fixed the coordinates to the year 5 billion. He may not agree with the way they got results during this time period but they would be the ones best able to save his daughter. He was sure of it.

-DW-

Within in an hour, everyone except for Ianto was aboard the TARDIS with all of their luggage in tow. They had given up on the trip to the cabin for now. It had been a disaster from the start and Martha was relieved that they were leaving. She made sure that the cabin was cleared of the items they had brought and locked up before giving the keys to the SUV to Ianto. Ianto was going to drive the SUV back to Cardiff for Martha and inform Mickey what was happening. Once aboard the TARDIS, Martha had gone into take care of Sophie while Emily and Samuel were playing silently with legos on the floor near the wall. Jack was keeping an eye on them as he waited for the Doctor to decide where they were going.

The Doctor though was indecisive about where he wanted to take Sophie for treatment. He had closed the hospital down in the year 5 billion so taking her there was out of the question. There were other hospitals that were trained to deal with aliens but depending on the year, many were less then friendly to interspecies couples and children. That made it hard to find a place that he trusted to treat Sophie. He placed his hand on the coordinates wheel and spun it frustrated.

"Still can't decide where to go?" Jack asked from the captains seat, where he had been watching the Doctor muttering to himself. The Doctor's hair was practically sticking up on end from all the times he had ran his hands through it frustrated.

"No," he snipped as he once again went to set the coordinates. "The human medicine isn't working because of her unique system and I can't give her the medicine for her other species because it is to strong. Yet if we don't find a way to help her she could die or end up with life long problems. Every place I want to take her though I don't trust for one reason or another to care for her."

"Then trust yourself." Jack told him calmly.

"What?" The Doctor questioned as he turned to look at Jack.

"You aren't trained as a doctor but you do know a thing or two about medicine. Isn't there a way you can treat her without having to take her to a hospital you can't trust." Jack asked. The Doctor had always claimed he didn't have a real degree in being a doctor but on more then one occasion Jack had watched him work miracles and save people. He had learned enough over the years and was intelligent enough that he could normally see past the simple solutions and find one that was just crazy enough to work. When it came to their daughter though he was so focused on helping her, he couldn't step back to see the bigger picture.

"I've tried to treat her Jack, the medicine isn't working." He informed Jack slightly indignant.

"Then make a medicine that does. You said it yourself the human medicine doesn't work and the other is to strong. Yet you have both medications aboard this TARDIS as well as more medication for other species. I know for a fact that a lot of your Time Lord medications you have learned to recreate in the lab. So make one that will help her," Jack told him firmly. He could tell the Doctor was thinking about it, when suddenly he burst into a smile.

"I am so thick." The Doctor agreed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Jack take us home." He ran out of the control room and into the medical bay as quickly as he could. Jack set to work. He changed the coordinates back to their home in Cardiff and made sure that the time was still correct. It was a simple jump but he patted the console before pulling the lever.

"Sophie's very very sick. Please try to behave for the short trip home," He told the Cardiff. He received a short shock in return. Not sure how to take her answer, he pulled the hand break to send them on their way.

-DW-

The Doctor ran into the medi-bay and over to the cupboard. From it he grabbed a clean syringe and several vials of medicine. He ran over to the bed and paused as Martha blocked him slightly with her body. A concerned look was on her face as she looked at the vials in his hands.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Curing my daughter." He explained. He threw the vials onto the next bed and then went around her's taking her arm in his hand. He apologized as he found a vein and drew a full vial of blood from her arm. She cried out and tried to pull away from him, but he held on.

"Shh, it's all right sweetie. Daddy just needs the blood so that he can make you feel better." He whispered to her softly. Removing the needle, he quickly capped it. He then put a clean piece of gauze on her arm as he gathered her into his arms, comforting her as she coughed and sobbed. "Daddy is sorry he hurt you, but I know how to make you feel better." He held her until she calmed down again and then gently laid her back on the bed. Without a second glance at Martha he proceeded to gather the vials again and disappeared into the lab.


	11. Chapter 11

The Doctor worked hard in the lab. He barely noticed when the TARDIS touched ground from its short trip as he carefully measured out her blood in to several different vials. To her blood he added several different medications. Some he added separately at different intervals, testing and waiting between the next. Others he combined and added at once. As he tested he marked off in his head which weren't going to work until he finally found one that would. He smiled to himself as he leaned back in his chair.

"Oh I am brilliant," He praised himself as he fed the information of the medication into the TARDIS. Even though he was sure he had found the right combination to cure Sophie, he wasn't going to give it to her without extensive testing. The only thing that would change that is if it suddenly became life or death. He could tell though from the monitors that were set up in the medical lab, that though she was still very sick, she hadn't taken a turn for the worse. There was still time to test the medication and to make sure he had it right.

It was late in the day before he emerged from the lab. Jack and Martha were sitting next to Sophie's bed as she writhed slightly, coughing from the pneumonia that was wreaking her body.

"I've done it," he shook a small vial at them. "She will need to receive several shots of it, but we should start to see results in a couple of hours."

"Then let's get started." Martha stated as she stood. She grabbed a syringe and went to hand it to the Doctor. He took it from her and filled the syringe before handing it back to her.

"We will need to give her 2 mgs directly into the vein twice a day until the vial is gone. I would switch her to a pill form but I don't have it and it would take to long to make." The Doctor informed her. "We can use the cannula for the IV for now, but once that comes out we will have to inject it directly."

"How long will the injections take?" Jack asked as he winced in slight sympathy for their daughter.

"Only about a week and then I am going to put her on an oral antibiotic that the TARDIS agrees will help her finish fighting the infection. The infection is bacterial so the risk of Emily and Samuel catching it is low." The Doctor explained. He looked around the medi-bay for a moment slightly confused. "Where is Emily and Samuel?"

"My mum came and picked them up a few hours ago. She is going to keep them until Mickey gets off of work." Martha explained.

"Good, good," He smiled and then his face fell as he turned to Jack. Jack took a deep breath and steeled himself for what he knew was coming. "I'm sorry."

"I understand. Once we know the medication is going to work, I will head back to Torchwood." Jack interrupted him. He didn't want to hear the Doctor telling him to leave again. He didn't want to argue with the man either. He waited beside Sophie's bed until her fever began to drop and she rested more easily. With a promise that if she took a turn for the worse that he would be called day or night, Jack took one last look at her and returned to Torchwood.

For the next two months Jack didn't see or speak to the Doctor. He saw the girls though every Sunday morning when Martha dropped them off at the hub. For the first few, she had stayed and kept an eye on them, but after that he was allowed to have them on his own. Until come Sunday evening they were picked up again and taken home to the Doctor. Jack wanted to worry about the Doctor but it was obvious that the girls were being well taken care of. Sophie's cough had cleared up and both girls were well fed and happy. Well as happy as they could be considering they both whined the entire time they were with him that they wanted him to come home. He explained that he couldn't and as they fell into routine, he wondered if the Doctor would ever forgive him and allow him back into their home.

The Doctor on the other hand spent the last two months taking care of the girls. He had kept Sophie out of school for the first week due to her illness. After that he was free in the mornings to travel but spent most of his time at home working on the up keep of it. He cleaned and made the small repairs that he didn't realize it need because Jack usually kept up with them. He also took care of the dog that he finally allowed the girls to get after almost a week of begging that their friend had just gotten a puppy. The puppy was suppose to be theirs but it had taken quickly to sleeping in his room, on his bed and he let it.

He worked hard with Sophie to get her to overcome her new phobia of water. She was doing better and was taking baths regularly again. She still panicked at large bodies of water but not the hysterical fits she once had. On Saturdays he would take the girls on trips in the TARDIS and this coming weekend had plans to take them to a small ocean planet to work with her once more. Thankfully Emily hadn't developed Sophie's fear and he was able to get her to help him coax Sophie into the water.

During the day when he was awake and moving about he was doing all right. It was at night as he laid on the now too big bed that he missed Jack. He had forgiven Jack for hurting him almost a month ago, thanks to his almost daily talks with Martha. Yet he had wanted to try to make a life without Jack, the problem was he still wanted Jack. He couldn't move past the fact that Jack had made him happier then he had felt since long before the Time War. Without Jack he never would have adopted their children. He would have never settled down into an almost domestic life with friends and people who came to visit him. Yet as he lay there that night, he knew that he could avoid it no longer. Tomorrow morning he would be the one to drop the girls off at Torchwood to see their Papa. If Jack would allow it, it was time he started to get to know his husband again.

The Doctor tossed and turned most of the night. He really didn't need to sleep that much and had taken to going to bed at night out of habit. In the next room over Sophie coughed and his hearts raced for a moment. She calmed down quickly again though. Ever since her illness, he worried more when she coughed that she would get sick again. Her lungs weren't as strong as they had been before and a simple cold could turn bad quickly.

It was his fault. If he had just trusted himself earlier to make the medicine. He paused. Martha would be angry if she knew he was blaming himself for Sophie being sick again. He had came to realize that her almost drowning was neither his nor Jack's fault and blaming himself wasn't going to change it. He patted his leg and their puppy, Kastaborous, rubbed its head on his hand. Absentmindedly he began to scratch behind her ear until he drifted off to sleep.

"Daddy," a voice hissed waking him from his dream. He opened his eyes to see Sophie standing by his bed. Her face was sweaty and she looked sad.

"Oh sweetie come here," He said lifting up the blankets and she scrambled onto the bed next to him. He placed his head against hers and could feel the warmth of her fever. "You don't feel good do you?" He cooed.

"No," she complained as she cuddled closer to him.

"We have to get ready so Aunt Martha can take us to see Papa?" Emily informed her sister as she climbed up on the bed beside them.

"I am taking you today. It is still very early though so try to get more sleep before it is time to go." He told Emily.

"I'm not tired," She pouted as she crossed her arms. He looked at the clock. They still had three hours before they had to be up and he wanted Martha to check on Sophie. He sighed and sat up, still holding Sophie against him.

"How about a nice bath and when Aunt Martha gets here she can braid your hair." he offered and Emily nodded eagerly. Sophie though curled further into him.

"No bath daddy." She whimpered.

"It will make you feel better," He tried and she shook her head no against him as she coughed again.

"I want a bath," Emily informed him.

"All right we will get you a bath and then the two of you can help me make breakfast," He told them. Emily jumped down off the bed and ran out of the room with Kastaborous on her heels. The Doctor smiled as he lifted Sophie up with him as he stood. He held her on his hip as he followed Emily out of the room.

-DW-

Jack made sure that the hob was clean and any artifacts had been stored in anticipation of the girl's arrival later in the morning. Though he understood why he only had them on Sundays at the moment, he was hoping Martha would talk to the Doctor on his behalf. Come summer he wanted to take them for a few days a week and if the Doctor would allow it, he wanted to take them camping for a week. He was a little worried as their usual arrival time came and went. Traffic as backed up though and so he figured that Martha was stuck in the Traffic. His heart dropped though when about twenty minutes later the sound of the TARDIS filled the air.

His first though was that something happened to one of the children. He rushed out of the hub and into the plas, where the TARDIS had parked at her usual spot. The door to the TARDIS opened and Emily raced out.

"Papa," she screamed as she launched herself into his arms with a smile. He caught her and kissed her on the head as the Doctor exited the TARDIS with Sophie in his arms. The Doctor was wearing his brown suit and had his hair spike slightly. He didn't have a tie on and Jack could just see a hint of chest hair. It made his heart race but he didn't dare show that to the Doctor.

"Hello Jack," he said with a small smile. The Doctor had to admit that Jack looked good. He looked the same as the last time the Doctor had seen him but his blue eyes were more alive and he had color in his cheeks once more. "Sophie isn't feeling good today. Martha checked on her and insists that it is just a cold and nothing to be worried about. If she gets worse though, let me know immediately."

"All right," Jack replied as he put Emily down and reached out for Sophie. Sophie leaned into his arms and he took her. "Since you are here I wanted to talk to you. I was hoping that I could have the girls more this summer since they will be out of school."

"You could." The Doctor paused and Jack's face fell as he expected the Doctor to say no. "I was thinking you may want to see them a little more often then that though."

"How often?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck. "That depends. Martha is going to pick the girls up early tonight and take them to see a film. I was thinking you and I could, if you wanted to. I don't expect you to say yes..." He mumbled quickly and Jack smiled.

"Doctor are you asking me out a date?" He wondered as his heart leapt with joy at the possibility of having the Doctor in his life once more.

"Buy me a drink?" The Doctor teased.

"Such hard work."

"But worth it," The Doctor smiled as for a moment they were both on the TARDIS. Jack was younger and more carefree, while the Doctor wore his leather jacket and chased after Rose. His hearts were Jack's from the start though and over these last few months he realized they always would be.

-DW-

Jack was at his wits end with the girls that day. Jack had planned to take them to the park and then out to lunch. Sophie wasn't up to it though and she cried most of the morning because she wasn't feeling well. Meanwhile, Emily ran around the hub getting into things because she was bored.

"Emily calm down and stop bugging Ianto." Jack chastised her. She ignored him as she ran around the desk again and in Ianto's way. Jack looked at Ianto apologetically as Ianto sighed. "One more time young lady and you are getting a time out."

"Sorry papa," Emily called out, as she ran the opposite direction.

"I want Daddy," Sophie sobbed again as she clung to Jack.

"Shh, sweetie, Papa is here." He cooed.

"Daddy," She cried louder. Jack was close to giving in, but he wanted to show the Doctor and Martha that he could handle the girls on his own. He gave her cough medicine and then rocked her gently until she calmed down. It was a little after eleven when she finally fell asleep. He carried her down to his room and laid her on the bed to sleep. Her head felt warmer then when they first arrived and he hoped she would sleep most of the fever off. After he headed back up and caught Emily as she ran.

"Ianto listen for Sophie please, I am going to go throw this one into the water." He teased as he held Emily upside down by her ankles.

"Papa, no," She shrieked giggling as he swung her back and forth. He turned her right side up and threw her over his shoulder as he headed outside. "Papa," She screeched happily.

"What was that?" He asked as she kicked and squirmed playfully trying to get away from him.

"It's to cold to swim," She yelled, copying the Doctor's words from the other day.

"You're not going swimming, I am just going to dunk you in." He laughed as he reached the railing. He stood back a little and then turned her so she could see the water. "Ready I am going to throw you in on the count of three."

"Papa," She grabbed his arms tightly as he flipped her over again.

"One, two, three," He swung her still holding on tightly and she screamed in joy. Laughing he set her down on her feet and took her hand. "Are you going to listen to me now?" he asked and she nodded happily. "Then let's go and find some lunch."

-DW-

The Doctor waited nervously for Jack to arrive. He had showered, shaved and put on a fresh blue suit. He chastised himself for being so nervous but the last date he had with Jack hadn't gone well. He ran his hands through his hair messing it up. He wasn't going to think about the last date. This was a fresh start a way to get to know each other again. His phone went off and he looked down to see Martha had messaged that she had the girls. He took the phone and slipped it in his pocket. He fixed his tie and then looked at himself in the mirror again before heading down stairs to wait.

He was restless though and rather then waiting he decided to fix something. There was nothing fun to fix in the house though so he made his way onto the TARDIS and crawled beneath the console. He was halfway through rewiring a circuit when Kastaborous began to bark frantically.

"Quiet," he told her as he crawled out and wiped his hand on his trousers. He left the TARDIS and heard someone knocking on the door. Heading to it, he took a deep breath and opened it. He felt bad when he saw Jack standing there holding a dozen roses and the first thing he did was laugh. He quickly bit the laughter back as Jack's face fell. "Sorry," he apologized as he took the roses.

"You look handsome," Jack told him, as he quickly tried to regroup himself from the Doctor laughing at him.

"Thank you." The Doctor sat the roses down on the table and grabbed his coat. He made sure that Kastaborous was still inside before closing the door behind him.

"I still can't believe you let the girls get a dog," Jack informed him as he shook his head.

"They wanted one," The Doctor shrugged. He smiled as Jack opened the door to the SUV for him and he climbed inside. He was trying not to let how nervous he was show as Jack climbed into the drivers side. If Jack snapped again, he had no way to get away from him quickly. He shuddered and grabbed onto the handle above the door. Closing his eyes he took a deep calming breath. Jack hadn't taken drugs for two months now. He was sure of that as Tom had drug tested him only a few days prior. There was no reason that Jack was going to hurt him again and he had to accept that Jack was better. He opened his eyes and saw Jack looking at him with concern.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked.

"Just nervous," He admitted.

"We don't have to do this Doc." Jack spoke up as he continued to wait to start the SUV.

"I want to Jack. I am sorry, but the last time we tried a date, it didn't end well." The Doctor looked at him.

"No, it didn't. Let me make it up to you." Jack gave the Doctor another minute to leave but when the Doctor showed no signs he was going to, Jack started the SUV and pulled out. He drove them to a small restaurant that the two of them had spent one of their first dates at. He was nothing but kind to the Doctor and they made small talk through out the meal. The Doctor felt himself relaxing as they got back into the SUV and drove across town.

"So Doctor tell me about your last relationship." Jack said as he began walking a dirt path leading down to the water.

"You first." The Doctor replied, not sure where Jack was going with the conversation.

"I ruined things with a wonderful man recently that had been a part of my life for years," Jack told the Doctor as they walked slowly by the water. "He was the best thing that had ever happened to me and I let him get away. What about you?"

"I was hurt by the man I trusted. It has taken me a while to forgive him." The Doctor answered playing along. Jack reached out and took the Doctor's hand in his and the Doctor gripped his hand back.

"Have you though?" Jack wondered as he stopped and looked the Doctor in the eyes.

"Yes." Jack leaned forward and kissed the Doctor softly on the mouth. The Doctor returned the kiss almost chastely. Jack tried to deepen the kiss but the Doctor pulled back and turned to walk again. Realizing it was to soon to kiss him like Jack hurried to catch him. After all it was just their first date.

-DW-

For awhile the two of them went on dates and learned to enjoy each other's company again. Even though the Doctor forgave Jack it took time for him to trust his husband again. Jack was beginning to think that one day a week with the girls and one with the Doctor was all he would ever have when the Doctor surprised him, asking him to move home.

He placed a bed in his office at first, sleeping their most nights while the Doctor slept in their room. Slowly but surely though he made his way back up the stairs and into his husbands bed. Sex was off limits but Jack cuddled the Doctor each night, thankful to have his husband back. He was immortal after all and the Doctor and his children's lives were fleeting compared to his own, but right now he was determined not to miss another day. The drugs had made him feel alive again, but losing anymore time with the man he loved just wasn't worth the consequences. For even though he knew he would see the Doctor again one day long after the Doctor's death, the memories the two shared would always be with him. He just had to make sure they were good ones.


End file.
